I Melt With You
by Becks Rylynn
Summary: AU featuring Ben and human!Ruby: If we're being technical, all of this began in a twenty year old yoga instructor's bedroom when Dean Winchester realizes he is fresh out of prophylactics and decides to use the pull out method instead.
1. tell me your troubles and doubts

_AN: All right, Kathey. I figure it's time to stop torturing you by telling you about this story and just POST IT ALREADY!_

_Hello again, my lovelies! It's been awhile, hasn't it? My apologies. So, here I am again with another story. __Are you excited? __...Yeah, you're excited._

_So, this story is uber special to me for a couple of reasons: Reason Number One: It has a theme.__ I guess not really a theme per se, but it is heavily inspired by a certain deacde. I'm sure that particular decade will be obvious from the title and the quotes at the beginning and ends of the chapters._

_Reason Number Two:__ This story is a birthday present for Kathey27. She is turning sixteen on April 10th and I wanted to celebrate by giving her this massive birthday fic. I was going to post it on her actual birthday, but we're both impatient and she's going to be out of town, so here I am: starting early. __For those of you that don't know, Kathey is another Dean/Ruby writer (and OH MY GOD, HER CAS/RUBY FICS - HER CAS/RUBY FICS!) and she is just one of the sweetest, most genuine girls I have ever met and her determination is something to be admired. I treasure our talks about fandom and Dean/Ruby and RPF and Mark Campbell and we even flailed about the Padababy together. I pretty much consider her one of my fandom sisters, so... Yeah, I love the girl. She's the best. Kathey, sweetheart, I do apologize if I'm making you blush with this embarrassing Mom-like speech I'm giving, but it is your SIXTEENTH birthday and I have been told that the SWEET SIXTEEN age is some special and magical age that involves big parties and even bigger hair. Just have a great day! You deserve it! But don't do crazy shit. ...Well...not too crazy anyway._

_...Mmmkay, I'm gonna shut my gob now. Enjoy, friends!_

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><p><strong>Title: <strong>_I Melt With You  
><em>**Summary:** AU featuring Ben, an interrupted apple pie life and human!Ruby: _If we're being technical, all of this began in a twenty year old yoga instructor's bedroom when Dean Winchester realizes he is, regrettably, fresh out of prophylactics so he decides to use the pull out method instead, because - yeah, that never backfires horribly, does it?_  
><strong>Pairing(s):<strong> Dean/Ruby. Brief mentions of passing Dean/Lisa and Dean/Beth Daniels(OFC). Minor Sam/Jess and Joey Daniels (OMC)/Victoria Daniels (OFC).  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Mostly Dean, Ben, Ruby and Sam. All other characters are fair game. The Daniels (original characters) family appears frequently. Also, PUPPIES!  
><strong>Genre:<strong> Romance/Family.  
><strong>Rating: <strong>T  
><strong>Timeline:<strong> Dude, it's a long ass timeline. It starts way pre-series and eventually goes to about mid season four.  
><strong>Spoilers:<strong> To be on the safe side, I'd say there are blanket spoilers for the entire series as a whole.  
><strong>Warnings: <strong>Depictions of mental illness, character death, pregnancy, sexual situations.  
><strong>Notes: <strong>Title from the song of the same name by Modern English.  
><strong>DEDICATION: <strong>TO KATHEY! IT IS YOUR BIRTHDAY, BABY! THIS IS MY PRESENT TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'M ABUSING THE CAPSLOCK FOR YOU! HOPE YOU LIKE IT! KISSES! LOVE YOU! GO EAT CAKE!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything.

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><p><strong>I Melt With You<strong>

_Written by Becks Rylynn_

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

_tell me your troubles and doubts_

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><p>.<p>

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_**Ferris: **__Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it._

**- Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)**

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Nobody ever expects their husband to come home from a business trip, compliment the ''homemade'' roast (that has actually been made and hand delivered by the sweet old lady in the apartment next door who cooks when she gets lonely), check homework, do the bedtime ritual, and then announce over an ice cold beer, ''Oh, also: I've got a year to live. You're cool with that, right, babe?''

And okay, so maybe that's not exactly how it all goes down but that's certainly what it feels like to Ruby Winchester.

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Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up! Back this train right up!

We're not there yet.

You wanna know where they're going? You have to know where they've been first. (Baby, where haven't they been?)

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If we're being technical, all of this began in a twenty year old yoga instructor's bedroom, under the_ atrocious _pink polka dot sheets when Dean Winchester realizes that he is, regrettably, fresh out of prophylactics so he decides to use the pull out method instead, because - yeah, that _never _backfires horribly, does it?

No, seriously. Do _not_ try this at home, kiddies. It will not work. You _will _wind up with a big surprise, eighteen plus years of sleep deprivation, your accident will eventually be used as a plot point on _Glee_, and people will reserve the right to point and laugh at you for being an idiot, which, let's face it, _you are._

To summarize: He sets his fate in stone the second he lets his downstairs brain overpower his upstairs brain.

Also, he's a horny dumbass.

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Lisa Braeden was the bendiest weekend of his life and he has a legit _scar_ on his back from her nails. But in the end, that's really all she is. She'll always be his Gumby Girl but in the grand scheme of things, that doesn't mean too terribly much.

Until she somehow tracks him down (and how _the fuck _did she manage to do that?) and shows up on his doorstep ten months later sobbing, holding a squirming baby, and looking like death warmed over. Suddenly, she is no longer just that one girl who could put her fucking legs behind her head like the world's naughtiest ninja _(jesus christ behind her head). _She is Lisa Braeden: the mother of his child.

I know, right? What the shit?

It's not easy to understand what she's trying to say to him through all of the snot and tears, but from what he gathers, the gist is pretty much: ''I can't do this!'' She goes on and on about it, too. Like, for a long time. She tells him about how she found out she was pregnant, how she tried to find him to tell him, how she thought she could do it at first, finding out it was a boy, her adventures in Lamaze class, she goes into unnecessary detail about her episiotomy (which is totally going to ruin vaginas for him), she tells him about how much breastfeeding hurts and how the kid never stops crying, and then she says: ''I love him, Dean. I love him so much. But I'm not ready for this. I'm just... I'm not ready.''

She's going to give him up, she says. She wants him to have a better chance than he would have with her and she wants him to have better parents, and so she needs him to sign these papers and then they can all move on and forget about this mess. She's going to go back to school, she says with a determined nod. And she's going to fix her life.

Dean interprets this as, _I need you to help me do this so I can forget about the biggest mistake of my life. Which was you, by the way._

He plans on saying yes. He feels kind of bulldozed right now, but... But neither of them has any business raising a kid right now. Maybe not ever. He's actually in the middle of searching for a pen when Lisa gets a phone call from her roommate and practically shoves the tiny, breakable infant into Dean's arms, excusing herself to go take the call.

Dean looks down at the baby and can't catch his breath.

Yep.

Bet you know where this is going, don't you?

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Dean does not sign the papers.

He's a reckless bastard, but he's a reckless bastard who takes responsibility for his illegitimate children.

_Admirable._

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His name is Benjamin Isaac Braeden. Benjamin is after Lisa's deceased father. Isaac means ''he will laugh.'' Ben is a good, strong name, and everyone needs a little laughter in their life. The only thing Dean changes about his son's name is the Braeden.

His name is Benjamin Isaac _Winchester_, he's barely a month old, he's so tiny, and his father already thinks he's a fucking superhero.

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Dad is pissed beyond belief and won't even look at him. Sam is confused and worried, but also slightly horror struck because he doesn't understand how it's possible that he can be related to someone who actually thinks the pull out method works. And Dean is beginning to doubt himself and the choice he made. Mostly because babies, as it turns out, are hard work. ...They're actually quite annoying.

And_ nobody _will help him.

Sam's busy being little Mr. Overachiever. Dad's still pissed. Strangers look at him with narrowed and judgmental eyes, like they know him, like they have a right to judge him.

So Dean goes to Bobby's. Because...Because it's _Bobby._ He and Ben (and eventually Sam) seek refuge at Bobby's place for a month straight. Dad calls to check in, but never once mentions Ben. He doesn't think Dean can do it. To be honest, Dean doesn't think anyone thinks he can do it. (Sometimes - most of the time - he thinks they're probably right.) But then one day he walks into the hasty makeshift nursery to find Sam attempting to change Ben's diaper. He has baby powder all over himself, he's hopping on one bare foot looking pained, the dude has baby crap on his forehead, and he looks near tears. Rumsfeld is darting around his feet, weaving in between his legs, looking worried.

Dean stares at him and can't decide whether or not to be horrified or amused. ''You hopeless _fuck,_'' he finally gets out through peals of laughter, and then he steps in, fixes the mess Sam has made and changes Ben's diaper in, like, a minute and a half. It would be an even minute, but Ben's a kicker (and a pisser). After, when he's got Ben in his arms, chatting to the boy about Uncle Sammy's bitchface, he realizes Bobby has been watching him from the doorway.

_Bobby _thinks he can do it.

Well, okay then. That's enough for Dean.

He quits hunting the next day. He just calls Dad up and he quits. Tells him that he won't let Ben be raised like he was.

Dad stops calling altogether after that.

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In late August, Dean is still staying at Bobby's and he is still trying to figure out his next move. Ben is still a tiny little dude, but he's growing steadily and he's super smart. Dean is convinced that his son is smarter than every other child out there. And yeah, he knows that's an irritating braggy parent thing to say, but fuck you; his kid is better than your kid and people just need to accept that. Seriously, he's so great. He's like a little bundle of awesome wrapped in greatness. He's got superpowers. He's going to be president. (Dean is fully aware that he may not have this whole parenting thing down pat just yet, but he's certainly got the new dad glow about him, complete with perpetual bragging rights.)

The one thing he's starting to feel really guilty about is that Bobby now has three extra mouths to feed. He assures Dean and Sam that he doesn't mind, but Dean can't help but feel bad for mooching off of him. He helps out in the salvage yard as much as possible and stealthily circles wanted ads late at night.

One day, late on a Sunday night, just after Ben has fallen back to sleep with Rumsfeld guarding the door, a truck lurches into the driveway, gravel crunching under the tires nosily. Rumsfeld barks. Ben wakes right back up. Because Dean is busy trying to calm down both the dog and the baby, he is not privy to the beginning of the shit storm to end all shit storms. When he gets back downstairs and sprints out onto the porch, baby monitor in hand, Rumsfeld trailing after him, he finds Dad standing in the dust waving his arms angrily and ranting and raving about everything and nothing. Sam is shouting back at him loudly and Bobby is unsuccessfully trying to keep the peace.

When Sam finally stops yelling and Dean manages to insert himself in between his volatile father and brother, Dad sighs, closes his eyes briefly and huffs out, ''Are you two ready to can the dramatics or what?''

Dean blinks. ''Okay, I - '' He swings his gaze to Sam. ''I don't even know what that means.''

''Cut the bullshit, boys,'' Dad snaps. ''You cannot run away every time we have a disagreement.''

''And you can't tell me what to do anymore,'' Dean fires back. He doesn't think anyone had been expecting that to come out of his mouth. (He sure wasn't.)

The funny thing about it is that this is hardly the biggest, loudest, meanest fight the Winchester men have ever had. That honor still goes to the ridiculous knockdown drag out brawl of '97 that started over the Die Hard movies. It doesn't last for hours, there are no tears, there is very little physical violence, and it doesn't end with slamming doors or squealing tires or the ever present ''we're doing this for your mother'' guilt trip. It's a fairly short fight. The reason for that is probably that Dean is the one at the head of this spat, not Sam, who gets supersonic when he's pissed off.

It ends when John, frustrated to the max, says, ''You don't even know what it takes to be a parent!''

Dean responds with a cold, ''I guess that's something you and I have in common'' that slips out before he can think about it and stops everyone dead.

Dad doesn't take that well, so he flings back some other harsh and unnecessary cruel taunts.

And so Bobby points a shotgun at him and threatens to blast his ass full of buckshot if Dad doesn't get off his damn property.

That's about the it.

It's a chain snapping event but it feels somehow anticlimactic.

The next day, Dean goes out and gets a job at the first place that will hire him - as a busboy at a crappy diner in town. Sam laughs at him. Right up until Dean forces him to go out and get a job, too. Sam winds up working at a local grocery store. Hey, say what you want about the integrity of Dean's job and the cleanliness of the diner, but at least he doesn't have to wear a dorky ass uniform.

It's not perfect, but it's enough for now.

He thinks that's going to be his new mantra.

_Enough for now._

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And so that's the beginning of the story.

Oh, dude, you ain't seen_ nothing _yet.

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Life rolls along smoothly for a long, long time. A year later, Dean and Sam are still living at Bobby's, Sam is still going to school in Sioux Falls and still has his part time supermarket job, Dean is working at both the diner and the salvage yard, Dad calls every couple of months just to say _yeah, I'm still alive and yeah, you two are still massive disappointments, _and Ben is walking.

Well, actually, correction: Ben is _running_. See, that's the thing about Ben Winchester. There are no in betweens for the boy. He goes straight from crawling to standing stationary to running. It scares the shit out of Dean. He was terrified the day Ben started crawling, imagine how he feels now. Ben is still small for his age and although he has been told - numerous times - that his son is a perfectly healthy toddler, the fragility still unnerves Dean. He worries nonstop about everything concerning his son (money, whether or not he's had a healthy balanced meal, if Sam's being too rough with him, if Rumsfeld - aka Ben's best friend - is being gentle with him) so the fact that the little dude can now run places is not exactly sitting well with his dedicated daddy.

The only thing Dean can really take comfort in is the fact that while Ben _is_ a runner, he's usually running towards the same thing: His dad.

Being a parent is strange.

Suddenly Dean finds himself thinking about all of the things that pre-Ben Dean never would have thought about for a second. Things like animal crackers and college funds and obeying speed limits. Things sure have changed out here in Winchesterville. When he goes grocery shopping nowadays the option of get in and get out ASAP doesn't even exist anymore because he's got a bouncing, babbling one year old sitting in the shopping cart pulling things off shelves and opening jars of jam, and those labels that tell you the nutrition values have become of dire importance. On average, a simple trip to the store is at least an hour long, and that's without factoring in time to stop at Sam's register and make fun of his uniform.

His cooking skills have been improving as well. Eating out is extremely expensive and people generally don't enjoy sitting next to squirming small children so home cooked meals have actually become something that happens, which is nice.

Oh, and speaking of eating out.

Women.

Chicks.

Persons of the female persuasion.

Well...

Let's just say there is not exactly a super long line of possibilities these days. It's not like he has decided to become celibate or anything like that, but he's not the womanizer he once was either. He just doesn't want that for Ben. He doesn't think a revolving door of women would be good for him. Now, Dean is a big believer of letting your freak flag fly. He is and always will be a staunch defender of sex. But right now isn't a good time.

Also, despite their doe eyes and their initial squeals of delight, women do not actually want to spend the evening looking at baby pictures. And they get really aggravated when you excuse yourself about a million times to go check with the babysitter, so... _Knowledge._

All in all, Dean thinks he's become one of _those_ parents. It weirds him out. Sometimes he feels like he might be trying a little too hard to be better than his father. But life is good. It's relatively peaceful. Things are plodding along wonderfully. Right up until Dean decides now would be the best time to uproot everything, which, let's be honest, is always how these things go.

The realization comes to him the day Ben takes his first steps. So far, Ben has mastered the art of standing up and he can walk if someone's holding his hands, so everyone knew that this day was coming. It happens in Bobby's kitchen. Sam's got the video camera pointed at Ben, Dean's down on the ground with his arms open and Bobby's attempting to bribe the boy with an animal cracker, because Ben has a serious addiction to them. Ben appears vastly confused by the spectacle his family is making, but he eventually takes an experimental step forwards. It's shaky and wobbly, but he doesn't fall on his ass, which seems to encourage him, so he takes another step. And then another.

And then he's running straight towards his dad and falling into safe strong arms.

Somewhere amongst the cheers, something strikes Dean.

Even though there have been several times over the past year where he has felt alone, he has never been alone. There has always been Bobby and there has always, always been Sam. In fact, Dean doesn't think he has ever been truly alone. After all, there is a difference between feeling alone and actually being alone. On the one hand, it's a wonderful feeling to realize you are not alone. On the other hand, he is starting to wonder if he will ever actually be able to be alone.

Eventually Sam's going to go to college and Dean can't live with Bobby forever. Someday it's going to be just Daddy and Ben.

What if he can't do it?

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In early January of 2001, Dean and Ben move from Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Highland Park, New Jersey. Originally, the plan had been for Dean and Sam to move into an old house that Bobby owned in the Jersey town, but at the last minute both Dean and Sam agreed that it would be better for Sam to stay in one place to graduate. So Dean and Ben are off on a grand adventure together, ready to see the world (okay, so not the _entire_ world), kick ass (metaphorically speaking) and take names. Okay, so it'll probably be more like they'll be attempting to live a blissfully normal and brutally independent life together, but it sounds better if you say it the other way.

Highland Park is a beautiful borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey and the house that Dean and Ben are going to be living in is massive. It's a huge Victorian style house that has been boarded up and vacant for years. It's either an incredibly gorgeous house or an incredibly creepy one. (It is also how Dean finds out about Bobby's wife.) Apparently this is his wife's family home and she inherited it when her parents died, but never got around to selling it and Bobby hasn't been able to let go of it since she died.

Hey, works out for Dean and Ben.

They'll be living alone in the technical sense of the word (that is if this place isn't haunted - it does have that feel to it, but that's probably all the dust and cobwebs from years of emptiness) but they're still not really alone. A: It's still Bobby's house, in all honesty. And B: Bobby sent them to Highland Park because he knows people there. According to Bobby, there's a man who lives here - a retired hunter - with his family who Bobby trusts with his life and who is, for some reason, willing to help out Dean with whatever he needs.

Dean has been told that he has met this man before. Once. When he was eight years old, he was snatched up by this fugly ass poltergeist and his father came to his rescue, with help from another hunter. Honestly, Dean has no recollection of this incident. Concussions will do that to you. The name of the ex-hunter barely rings a bell and Dean isn't exactly a trusting guy, so he doesn't go to Highland Park expecting to take up their offer of kindness.

But then he can't find a kid's clothing store.

Long story short: Yes, they are awesome. The first time Dean shows up on their doorstep, he is taken aback by their genuine kindness.

Joey Daniels is everything Dean will never admit he wishes his father was: _Normal._ He's a bar owner who is five kinds of awesome and helps Dean nail down a steady job within the first week.

His wife, Victoria, is a nurse who often randomly switches to other languages in the middle of a sentence (from Latin to French to what Dean thinks is Arabic). She makes the best homemade cookies Dean has ever tasted and she loves Ben.

Beth is the eldest adopted daughter; she's his age, she's a hard partying wannabe actress who is now back at home with her parents because she ran out of money in New York, and she makes him uncomfortable.

Joey's brothers are constant presences in the Daniels' residence. There's Grant, who's barely fifteen years older than Beth and who must suffer from selective mutism or something because Dean has never actually heard him speak. And then there's Rufus Turner, Joey and Grant's half brother that lives about a mile away from Joey and tends to show up without calling first. When in the same room as Dean, he spends most of his time pestering him about Bobby, who he shares some mysterious past with.

There's another daughter as well, a younger girl who's attending UCLA in California. Dean doesn't know much about her, just her name.

_Ruby._

(He has no idea.)

So yes, Dean thoroughly enjoys the Daniels family and he is beyond grateful for their help.

(But seriously - _he has no idea_.)

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Life in Highland Park is mostly one note for the first couple months.

It's not that it's boring. It's just not that exciting either. Dean works at the garage during the day, picks up Ben from daycare, makes dinner, spends an insane amount of time trying to get Ben to sleep, and then he usually passes out in front of the TV. On the weekends, they'll explore Highland Park and then Victoria will come over and drag them over to her house for dinner. It's lonely. That's the problem. There's no Bobby and no Sam. Just a one year old who - while awesome - isn't super at holding conversations. The days become predictable and routine and the time may pass by at an agonizing snail speed, but goddamn - look at him.

At least he knows now that he can do this.

In late January, about two weeks after arriving in Highland Park, he turns twenty two. He talks to Sam on the phone, gets a voicemail from Dad, and then Victoria shows up on his doorstep with a cake. When he opens the door, she blows on a noisemaker, throws confetti at him and chirps out, ''Happy birthday, sweetie!''

In the living room, Ben stops what he's doing to throw his arms up in the air and yell out, ''Yay!''

The cake is one of the best he has ever had so Dean counts this birthday as a win for him.

In mid February, he is sick and tired of being bored so he makes a list of projects to do around the house and slowly begins to make his way through them. Well, would you look at him. He's domesticated. In between his bouts of being Ty Pennington, he hooks up with Beth a few times (without letting her parents know, of course, because Joey Daniels is definitely the kind of guy who would shove a shotgun in your face for daring to defile his daughter, regardless of whether or not she's a grown ass woman who can make her own decisions) and it's fun for a bit, but it ends pretty quickly when he realizes that while the sex may be good, they go together like oil and water.

Beth is hot, yes, but she's an insufferable bitch. She's over the top dramatic, she's embarrassingly awkward and awful with Ben, she is constantly throwing things at Dean and she insults his car. It's probably the car thing that pushes that particular ill fated relationship over the cliff.

Slowly, things begin to pick up as the time goes on and Dean begins to break out of the shell he hadn't known he had been hiding in. He makes a few acquaintances at work, he and Ben start going over to Joey and Victoria's for dinner every Sunday night, he is already halfway through the list of home improvement projects he made for himself, and Ben is absolutely thriving. During the weekdays, he goes to this great little daycare that Victoria recommended and he makes friends. He's_ still _small for his age and his speech is just a touch underdeveloped for a child his age, but he makes out great at daycare.

The time starts to go by faster.

In early April, feeling happy and weightless for the first time in ages, Dean decides that he and Ben need a dog. He thinks it's one of the best ideas he's ever had. He's very proud of himself for thinking of it. Ben loves dogs. Like, full on adores them. Every morning while he is eating breakfast and Dean is getting them both ready for the day, he sits on the living room floor and watches _Clifford the Big Red Dog_. On the weekends, he watches _Fox and the Hound _on a constant loop. Hell, the kid still doesn't understand that Rumsfeld doesn't live with them anymore, often peering up at Dean and asking, ''Daddy, where's my puppy?''

There are times when Dean thinks that Ben might actually think that _he_ is a dog. (Because...yes, okay? Sometimes Ben barks. It's weird, but not any weirder than that phase Sammy went through when he was four and thought he was a unicorn. That was just messed up.)

When they step into the local animal shelter on a mild April day, Ben gets this adoring look on his face and his eyes double in size. It's kind of like the look Dean would get on his face if he ever got the chance to watch two hot chicks wrestling in a giant pie. He loses track of how long they spend at the shelter while Ben carefully asks about each and every dog, learns their name (and then promptly forgets it), waves at them and says ''hi, I'm Ben!''

But in the end they get their dog.

Dean has his eyes on some of the bigger dogs, like a Golden Retriever or a Canaan. There's a fully grown adult husky that looks pretty badass. But then he turns his back for less than three seconds and when he turns back, his son has managed to find the single girliest dog in the entire joint and fall in love with it. In the span of five seconds, Ben has locked eyes with a tiny puppy and Dean swears he can hear _'love lifts us up where we belong' _playing somewhere.

''Shit,'' he mutters under his breath.

The puppy cuts its eyes to him. The melting is pretty instantaneous on Dean's part. He takes a step back and grapples for words, trying to look away and failing miserably.

''Double shit,'' he sighs.

The woman helping them is too busy laughing at them to tell them anything about the dog.

''Daddy,'' Ben breathes out seriously. ''My. Puppy.''

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She (yep, first girl in the boys' clubhouse) is a five week old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and the amount of cuteness that she can pack into the disgusting act of licking herself should be outlawed.

Seriously.

Dean's already got Ben and his _I want something _face, he doesn't need a puppy controlling him. But Ben already loves her unconditionally, so Dean's just going to have to suck it up.

The shelter had her name as Bootsy, which is just about the stupidest thing Dean has ever heard so the first order of business is to change her name to something suitable. Not as easy as it sounds. Dean is rooting for the name Zeppy, after Led Zeppelin, because he thinks that name is all kinds of kick ass and perhaps it will also teach Ben about the awesomeness of Zeppelin. Ben says no and gives him a bitchface. (What is up with that? Why do all of his kids have extremely affective bitchfaces? That's not fair.)

While trying to come up with a name for the pup, Dean learns a valuable lesson: When attempting to name the dog something that is not clichéd and Disney-esque, it is not a good idea to let your toddler watch _Fox and the Hound._

''DADDY!'' Ben screeches wildly, arms wrapped around the poor dog's neck. ''COPPER! SHE'S COPPER! SHE'S MY COPPER!''

There's really no way out of that.

The dog seems to agree with this name choice because she licks Ben's face and sends the boy into fits of giggles.

_Well, _Dean thinks. _It could be worse._

All right then. Copper it is.

As it turns out, Copper is probably the best dog in the history of the world. She hardly ever barks or growls (the only time she makes noise is when somebody rings the doorbell), she never bites, she's incredibly gentle, and she'll pretty much just sit there and let you do whatever. She certainly won't be winning any awards for world's best guard dog or anything like that, but she's the perfect little dog for a toddler. And boy is Dean forever glad that she's such a patient girl. Ben loves her to pieces, but he hasn't yet mastered the whole _being gentle with living things_ part of life. He's always tugging on her collar or holding her in a tight hug. She never even looks at him wrong. She just doesn't give a shit.

She may look like a canine-ified Disney Princess, but she earns her Winchester name by befriending Ben. (And Sam, because when he comes out to visit he falls head over heels for the little girl and she trails after him like she has some sort of crush on him.)

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Life is wonderfully complete now. (Or so Dean thinks.) He's got his son and his brother and his pint sized dog (who honestly seems to believe she's their mother), he's got a house, a job, friends... He's got normalcy. His focus is on being a dad and a brother and a respectable citizen. Sam's focus is on school. Ben's focus is on Copper and animal crackers. (Dad's focus is on hunting The Demon with or without the help of his sons.)

All is right in the world.

Dean takes care of Ben and Copper, Copper takes care of Ben and Dean, and Ben takes care of his stuffed animal that he has _(heartfuckingshatteringly_) named _'Mommy'._

In early May, Sam turns eighteen and Dean sends him some porn and a really bad CD that the kid had been asking for. In late May, Ben turns two and Dean throws him a big birthday bash in the backyard of Karen Singer's old house. Some of the kids from daycare are there, Bobby and Sam make the long trip down, Joey and Victoria show up bearing way too many gifts and way too much food, Rufus makes a surprise appearance, and even Beth makes a brief drop in to give Ben a gift (it's a designer outfit that is two sizes too small and Victoria mutters something in Spanish before she takes it back, throws it back at her daughter and warns her to stop throwing her money away or she'll be living at home forever. Beth is flustered and throws her lemonade at Dean's head when he dares to snicker at her. He barely has time to duck. No doubt about it: Girl's batshit.)

Dad sends a gift. There's no card and he doesn't call, but Dean knows the gift is from him. It's a football. Every once and awhile, Dean will think about when he used to toss around a football with his father in the backyard of the Winchester family home in Lawrence, Kansas before everything was shot to shit.

It's a good day.

Copper guards Ben like a protective mother, even though she's still a baby herself. Bobby and Rufus nearly get in a food fight, but seem to resolve whatever issues they have with each other after Rufus attempts to throw one of Victoria's pies in Bobby's face, only for Bobby to side step. (Poor Joey.) Joey and Victoria are ecstatic because they've just been told that their youngest is coming home for the summer and they show their happiness by giving presents. Sam is happy to be around family again. And Ben has a great time.

Dean is counting the day as a success.

At the end of May, Sam gets out of school and because he's going to have to go through extra year of high school due to all of his absences over the years, he's not busy gearing up for college so he opts to spend the summer in Jersey with Dean and Ben. Dean is looking forward to a nice, relaxing summer with his brother and his son. Maybe they'll take Ben to the beach or teach Copper how to high five. Beth wants to take them to Manhattan for a weekend (and most likely force them to sit through a Broadway show). Victoria wants to teach Dean how to bake. They've got shit to do. The year has been a whirlwind of new experiences so far and honestly, Dean is just hoping to be able to unwind for the few months.

He does not get the summer of his dreams.

Because in June, there's Ruby. What more really needs to be said about that?

(A lot. _A lot _needs to be said.)

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_**Jake Ryan: **__I want a serious girlfriend. Somebody I can love, that's gonna love me back. Is that psycho?_

**- Sixteen Candles (1984)**

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**end chapter one**

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><p><strong>AN: THIS IS MY 80'S STORY, HOMESLICE! Rejoice, my fellow wastoids and space cadets. ...No, but in all seriousness, I am not an 80's child. I'm a 90's kid all the way, but there is something about the 80's - more specifically the John Hughes era - that was just... the best time in history for storytelling. And so I bring you my 80's inspired party. It's not set in the 80's or anything, rather this was my attempt at making a romantic dramedy a la John Hughes (because let's face it, he was a total righteous dude - possibly some sort of God). See if you can spot the random 80's slang references I have peppered throughout the story. Hint: Slang is one of those things that goes out of style and then comes back in style a couple decades later, like fashion, so a lot of 80's slang is still used today. As someone who has very little knowledge of slang, I found this endlessly fascinating.<strong>

**All right, well! That's all I have to say, so I'm gonna bounce. Just buckle up, studs. This is going to be a bitchin' and bumpy ride.**

**Chapter title from the song ''Don't You Forget About Me'' by Simple Minds, by the way.**

**Up Next:**

_Ruby blows into Dean's life and just...messes shit up with her adorableness._


	2. oh, i wanna dance with somebody

_AN: Happy Easter, my precious blueberries! Since I'm unable to sneak into all of your houses and leave those nasty chocolate eggs in strange places, I'll just give you all a new chapter instead. Consider this your Easter egg from me. And hey! This chapter introduces a certain pretty, pretty blonde who we have all been waiting for, so I hope you enjoy the chapter and just... Have a great Sunday everyone!_

_Chapter title from the song ''I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)'' by the late great Ms. Whitney Houston._

**Disclaimer: **I own none of the characters you recognize and none of the movie quotes at the beginning and ends of chapters.

* * *

><p><strong>I Melt With You<strong>

_Written by Becks Rylynn_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

_oh, i wanna dance with somebody_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

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_**Samantha Baker: **__It's really human of you to listen to all my bullshit._

**- Sixteen Candles (1984)**

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.

.

Dean had heard that the youngest Daniels daughter was coming home for the summer, but he hadn't really given it a second thought.

He had also heard that they were hiring some new staff at the bar, they were planning on expanding their business ventures with some sort of coffee shop/bakery downtown, and Beth was planning on moving back to Manhattan sometime in the fall. All of these things are things that are none of his business and therefore, they are things he does not lose sleep over. Their life is their life and his life is his life.

To be completely honest, meeting the other Daniels sister is not on the top of his priority list. He's aware that Beth and her sister are not blood related and therefore, Little Sister is not genetically predisposed to be like Beth (is partying even related to genetics? probably not, huh?) but if she is anything like her sister... Well, Dean's thinking avoidance might be the safest road to go down.

He doesn't see much of the Daniels family in the early weeks of June because he's busy showing Sam around town and the Daniels are busy with their own lives. But when his boss's birthday comes around on the seventeenth, he finds himself in charge of finding a place to have the party and so he chooses Joey's bar, simply because everybody knows him there and he gets free drinks. On the night of the party, Ben has the sniffles and a mild fever and Dean really doesn't want to go. He tells himself that he's going to make a brief appearance, say happy birthday and then duck out early to go spend the rest of the night with his boys.

When he gets to Joey's, the bar is hopping, loud and dark and filled with people. There's a bachelorette party, two tables full of frat boys, a lot of men in business suits and then there's his party. His co-workers have somehow managed to surpass even the frat boys and the bachelorette party in the noise department. It's truly impressive.

Beth's working the bar tonight in her short shorts and her belly baring tank top. She flicks a rag over her shoulder and gives each and every man at the bar a seductive little grin that looks like it's intention is to make those poor saps believe that she only has eyes for him. Her fellow bartender appears totally unaware of her companion's antics, looking extremely focused on her task at hand, which is fixing the cash register.

Dean weaves his way through the people, gives the heartiest greeting he can to his work buddies and gets lost in the crowd. He makes the round, says happy birthday to his boss, laughs at bad jokes, tells worse ones and somehow manages to successfully give people the impression that he actually wants to be here. Eventually, he breaks free for a brief moment and tells them that he's going to order a beer, which is code for calling Sam. He takes a seat at the bar, orders a beer and takes out his phone. Sam is breathless when he answers and he sounds like he's been laughing. Dean supposes he shouldn't worry so much. He did leave Copper in charge, after all, and she's an incredibly capable mutt.

The new bartender - a blonde in a simple t-shirt and jeans; the _complete _opposite of Beth - slides a beer in front of him and eyes him for a second with absolutely _no _readable expression on her face. She skitters away from him the second he looks up at her and goes back to tending the bar, like most bartenders seem to do.

Sam assures him (over and over again) that all is well. Ben's fine, his fever's down, they're going to finish their movie and then Sam will put Ben to bed. He swears it. Dean triple checks to make sure Sam knows where the Children's Tylenol is and then he hangs up. Okay, so yes it's entirely possible that he has become much too overprotective. It is something he has learned to accept. He slips his phone back into his pocket and glances behind him at his co-workers. Jovial and cheerful is one thing but he has learned that they are downright obnoxious when they party. They're the guys that people in the customer service industry hate because they're rowdy and they don't tip well. He grimaces, takes a swig of his beer and stands to go rejoin the festivities.

''You don't remember me, do you?''

He stops in his tracks and turns around to face the blonde behind the bar. She is still staring at him with that same blank expression on her face, absently polishing a glass as she stares at him. Instinctively, he glances behind him just to make sure she's talking to him. ''Uh - '' He racks his brain for a moment, trying to remember if he has run across her sometime in his past travels. And by _run across her_, he means _sex. _But no. He would remember her. For sure, he would remember her. ''I'm sorry,'' he apologizes, stepping back to the bar. ''Should I?''

''Yes,'' she deadpans, putting the glass down.

''And...why is that?''

''Fourteen years ago, the ghost of an unpleasant old woman took you, me and three other children hostage. I am still convinced she was going to bake us into pies,'' she states bluntly. ''When she tried to take me, you jumped in front of me and she hit you over the head with a broken chair leg. And then our fathers came and saved us.''

It sinks in relatively quickly and his jaw drops in surprise. He sits back down in the vacant barstool and lets a small smile worm over his lips. ''You're Ruby, aren't you?''

She nods. ''I am.''

His smile grows and shows off his teeth, reaching all the way to his eyes. ''Well, I apologize, but I don't remember much about that night. We'll have to hold off on the reminiscing. How about we just go with hi,'' he offers her his hand. ''I'm Dean.''

She stares at him, then at his hand. Her eyes flick briefly over to Beth and then her nose scrunches up and she shakes her head, sending her ponytail bouncing. ''Yes,'' she says, speaking very slowly, as if to a small child. ''I know.''

''Okay then.'' He retracts his hand. ''Well... It was nice to meet you,'' he tries.

She doesn't approve of that either, shaking her head. ''We've already met.''

He blinks. ''I know we've already met, but we're re-meeting. We're starting over. People do that, you know.''

She pinches her lips together. ''Logically speaking,'' she begins, ''once something is done it doesn't need to be redone.''

He stares at her. He honestly does not know how to respond to that. All he knows is that he doesn't think he has ever been this confused and enthralled (and slightly aroused) at the same time. It's strange. She's strange. Not Beth strange either, this girl is something else entirely. Nothing at all like what he had been expecting. ''There are things in life that need to be repeated,'' he finally splutters out. ''Sex, for instance.''

She shakes her head again and wags her finger at him. ''Sex is not detrimental to everyday function,'' she points out.

He snickers a little at that. Hey, he may be a father but the immature twenty two year old spirit is still very much alive inside of him. ''We'll have to agree to disagree on that one,'' he says, letting a brief twinge of arrogance into his voice.

''We could,'' she hums, ''but you'd be wrong.''

He tilts his head to the side and looks at her for a long time. She doesn't even flinch. He licks his lips. ''Are you messing with me right now?'' He has to ask, because...because - Jesus Christ, just _because, _okay?

Her expression still never wavers. ''You'll never know.''

''Uh-_huh._''

The look on his face must be quite comical because her lip curls back into a half smirk. Her gaze drops down to the counter momentarily and then she tilts her head up, just enough to slide her eyes back over to him. He locks eyes with her for a fraction of a second and the dumbfounded expression on his face transforms easily into a grin. Her tense shoulders relax a little and she leans forwards, elbows on the bar. ''My mother loves you, you know,'' she informs him matter-of-factly. ''She's always wanted a son. You seem to fill that void quite nicely.''

He's a little taken aback by that, arching one eyebrow. ''Oh, um... That's flattering.''

''Mmmhmm,'' she nods and stands straight, wandering slightly to the left to snatch up an empty beer bottle and a dirty glass from the bar. ''I think she's hoping you'll tame Beth's wild ways and you two will get married and give her lots of grandbabies.''

Dean nearly spits out his beer. Oh, geez. ''Yeah, that's - '' he clears his throat '' - that's not going to happen.''

She doesn't look nearly as convinced as he is. ''No?''

''_No_,'' he confirms. ''Not now. Not ever. Absolutely positively a million times no. Beth and I are just...'' He looks over at Beth, just in time to see her show off the cherry stem that she has undoubtedly tied with her tongue. He can't decide whether to laugh or shudder. ''God, no.''

Ruby looks thoughtful. ''That's probably wise,'' she eventually says, one shoulder twitching in a half shrug. ''You might catch something.''

He whistles. ''Well. Meow.''

She stares at him strangely, eyebrows furrowed together curiously. ''Do you, by any chance, happen to have Tourettes?''

He chokes out a surprised guffaw that quickly turns into genuine laughter. ''No, sweetheart, that was a joke.''

''Oh,'' she mulls this over and then shakes her head at him. ''It wasn't funny. ...Did you call me sweetheart?''

''I did.''

She accepts this, processes it and then says, plainly, ''You shouldn't. It's an inaccurate description of me.'' She offers him what is possibly the first _real _smile he has seen on her lips and then drifts away from him, tossing one more look at him over her shoulder as she moves to help another customer.

She leaves him sitting there, awed and befuddled and staring after her in astonishment. Well, okay then. Never in his life has he ever had a first meeting like that. He wonders if that was her intent. He's not sure if he should feel confused, miffed or utterly mesmerized. He's kind of leaning towards the latter. He swivels around to stare at the table full of his co-workers that he should be at. But then he looks back over towards Ruby. (Definitely not the hardest choice to make.) He stands and makes his way over to the opposite end of the bar, ignoring the way Beth is staring at him with narrowed eyes. He waits until Ruby is done with her customer before speaking. ''Hey,'' he leans against the bar. ''You know what? I think I've discovered a hole in your nothing needs to be repeated theory.''

She looks up in surprise, eyebrows raised. ''You have?''

''Yes. Aside from the fact that breathing, eating, sleeping and shitting are all repetitive actions that have to be done repeatedly in order to survive - ''

''Not true. No bathroom experience is the same.''

'' - I think that this needs to be repeated. Preferably sometime soon.''

She stares at him blankly, gazing around her surroundings. ''This,'' she echoes questioningly.

''Yes,'' he nods. ''You and Me. Battle of wits.''

The somewhat open expression on her face instantly changes, like shutters closing and she draws away from him as if he has the plague. Or herpes. ''If this is your idea of a battle of wits, your quality of wits is _very _poor.'' Then she walks away from him _again_, back to the other side of the bar.

He follows after her like a lost puppy, still not totally sure what he's doing with himself or why he's doing it. ''No, but seriously. We should do this again sometime.''

She glances up from pouring drinks. ''Argue?''

_''Talk.''_

''I think there's little to no chance of that happening,'' she deadpans.

''Why?''

''Because I think that I can say, with absolute certainty, that I am not what you're looking for in a friend, girlfriend or fuck buddy.'' She doesn't even look up from arranging the drinks on a tray as she says it. The words sound almost rehearsed.

''Direct,'' he blurts. When he gets nothing from her, he frowns and leans a little closer to her. Not close enough to be qualified as a personal bubble popper, but close enough so that she can hear his voice over the loud chatter and music. ''How would you know what I'm looking for?'' He questions. ''You don't know me.''

She lifts the tray into her arms, balancing it on one hand. The tray wobbles and his first instinct is to reach up and steady it for her, but she expertly steadies it herself before his fingers can even twitch. ''Not very well, no,'' she amends. ''But your previous choice in women - i.e.: my sister - tells me that you could not and would not be able to handle someone like me.'' Then she smiles a brilliant beaming smile that is painfully false and side steps him. ''Okay then! Toodles!'' And then she walks away.

_Again._

The crowd swallows her up on her way to the bachelorette party and she's gone. Dean stares after her because he can't help it. Strangest most confusing girl in the world. He is deeply, deeply intrigued. This could be trouble.

Nah.

It's most _definitely _going to be trouble.

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.

Dean stays longer than he had originally planned, hiding out in the midst of his co-workers, watching Ruby mix drinks and interact with her sister. He doesn't understand at all why he finds her so fascinating. She is beautiful, yes. There's no question about that. She's got great eyes and a killer smile and her body is smoking, but it's - as cheesy as this is going to sound - more than that. She's a mystery. A challenge. Challenges are attractive. He enjoys challenges. He would very much like to know this woman.

When it's late and the only people that remain are some men in rumpled suits and about a third of his work party, he watches as she slips over to the jukebox, spending the next five minutes carefully selecting a song. When she finally presses play, some cheesy 80's pop hit begins to play and she gets this truly joyful look on her face that makes his lips quirk into a smile against his will, as if totally independent of his body. It's the enigma factor. It's gotta be. There is nothing more appealing than unraveling a mystery (just ask the gang from Mystery Inc) and she is a mystery.

His staring eventually gains the attention of one of his co-workers, Spencer. ''Dude,'' he elbows Dean in the ribs with a laugh, oblivious to the death glare he receives in response. ''I see you,'' he giggles drunkenly. ''Checkin' out the Rubester.''

Dean perks up and turns his attention to Spencer, sitting up straight. ''You know her?''

''Who? Ruby? Sure, I've known her my whole life. We went to school together.'' He clicks his tongue and tips his beer bottle to his lips. ''Chick's hot,'' he picks at the label on the bottle. ''But she's wicked postal, man.''

Dean scoffs and rolls his eyes. He doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to Spencer's views on things. The kid has smoked so much weed that he has officially become a stereotype. ''This coming from the guy who thought buffalo wings were actually made from buffalo meat?''

''Honest mistake!'' Spencer squeaks. ''No, but I'm serious, dude. Ruby Daniels is a psycho. You want my advice?'' He claps Dean on the shoulder. ''Run.''

Dean stares at him, and then looks back at Ruby. He ultimately decides to basically fuck Spencer's opinion. Spencer's opinion is permeated with Mary Jane. It doesn't hold a whole lot of weight around these parts. ''Yeah. Okay. Thanks for the advice, Spicoli, but I think I can manage my own love life.''

Spencer holds his hands up. ''Hey, whatever, man. It's your funeral. Just don't say I didn't warn you.'' That's when Beth walks by and Spencer's eyes abruptly glaze over as he stares after her, eyes firmly on her ass. ''Damn,'' he lets out a low, appreciative whistle. ''Beth is lookin' fine tonight.''

Dean flicks his exasperated gaze to the heavens. He opens his mouth to warn Spencer that even Beth has higher standards than him and she will chop off his balls if he even attempts to talk to her, but Spencer's gone in an instant, trailing after Beth. With a sigh, Dean slouches farther into his chair and taps his finger along with the beat of the song. He checks his watch, lets out a breath, and decides that he needs to get home. As he's standing, searching his pockets for money, he lifts his eyes to Ruby. Behind the bar, she looks up at him, catches his eye and then quickly looks away from him.

He has to swallow.

Trouble, indeed.

_''I'll stop the world and melt with you (let's stop the world), you've seen the difference and it's getting better all the time...''_

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.

.

Dean does try not to think about her. He tries really hard, actually. His life is already busy enough with fatherhood and work and all that crazy shit. He honestly doesn't need anything more right now. He does his best to shake off his first interaction with Ruby Daniels and get back to normal life. Despite his best attempts, he still goes into work the next morning humming Modern English. She is still there in the back of his mind, her and her cocky little smile and her extremely literal views of everything. She's like a beautiful little earworm; a song he can't get out of his head. It's almost uncomfortable in nature. It's been a long time since someone has gotten so far deep under his skin. Especially after just a few moments of conversation. Those few girls who have previously managed to hack their way into his heart and bring about genuine interest...

Well, let's just say he doesn't have a whole lot of fond memories of mutual non-psychotic non-Fatal Attraction break ups.

There was Kelli when he was eighteen, who went full on crazy stalker, what with the naming of their future children and such. (Ironically, the name _Benjamin_ was one of the boys names on her extensive list of crazy.) Before then there was Amanda, who... Yeah, no, that one was his fault. He's man enough to admit that. He totally fucked up that relationship.

He doesn't think forgetting about Ruby should be that difficult. He spends all day trying to drown the very thought of her in motor oil, throwing himself into work. When his shift is over and he's on his way home, trying to think of dinner ideas, he realizes that she is still there, lurking in the back of his subconscious like a pixie. He thinks he might be stuck with her for awhile. She's too bizarrely fascinating to forget about completely.

At five thirty, he has just pulled into the driveway and is trudging towards the front door, preoccupied with thoughts of warm showers and possibly a meat lover's pizza, when Beth's car screeches into the driveway - nearly hitting him in the process - making that worrisome audible clunking noise it always makes. ''Dean!'' She leaps out of the car with a big wide grin that can only mean she wants something. ''Thank God you're here! I've been looking everywhere for you!''

He offers her a flat look in response. ''Where's everywhere?''

She falters. ''The street,'' she says lamely. ''...Your sidewalk...''

He eyes her parking job critically. ''You got your driver's license by flirting with the instructor, didn't you?''

''Dean!'' She admonishes. ''Don't be presumptuous. And yes.'' She shakes it off and makes an indescribable noise in the back of her throat that he can only _assume _means she's frustrated, lip curling back in disgust. She throws a glare at her car. ''My car is making funny noises and I need you to fix it.''

''This is news?''

''It's a new noise!''

He shuts his eyes and massages his temples. He is way too exhausted to deal with her right now. ''And you waited until I came home from the garage _where I fix cars for a living _because...?'' He asks lazily, doing everything in his power to stave off a yawn.

''Um,'' she leans back against her car and folds her arms. ''Because I wanted you to do it for free,'' she rolls her eyes and pops her gum at an obnoxious volume. ''_Duh_.''

He grunts impatiently and moves past her. ''All right,'' he sighs. ''Describe the noise.''

''Oh, um...'' She pauses to frown, chomping on her gum thoughtfully. Her eyes brighten considerably after a second and she stands straight, clearing her throat. With a dramatic flourish, she starts to make a deep guttural sounding noise that goes on and on, getting higher and higher until it ends in some form of a breathless scream. It is _disturbingly_ close to the sound she makes when she climaxes.

He pops the hood and thinks he should get an award for being able to keep a straight face. ''Have you ever considered the possibility that your car has simply reached the point of orgasm?''

She sneers at him. ''You,'' she jabs a finger at him. ''Are not funny.''

He shrugs. ''I think I'm funny.''

''You think _This Is Spinal Tap _is funny.''

''Newsflash, Cordelia Chase: So does everyone else.''

''Listen, buddy,'' she curls her hand around his shirt and drags him to her, eyes flashing. ''This is a life or death situation here! I don't know if you've heard, but the Highland Park Players are putting on a production of _Cats _at the end of the summer and I fully intend on getting the lead role. It's bad enough that I have to work with_ cats_, okay? Those hairy fuckers destroy lives. If I can't get to and from the theatre, I can kiss that role goodbye.''

He thinks his face would probably fit the definition of _what the fuck?_ just perfectly right now. If she were anyone else, he would seriously wonder if this was a joke. Seeing as it's Beth, he knows she's dead serious. ''Okay, first of all,'' he peels her hand away from his clothing. ''I don't think you understand what life or death means. Second of all, you do realize that there are no actual feline creatures in _Cats_, right? People _play_ the cats. That's sorta the point.''

She scowls at him and flips her hair over her shoulder. ''Of course I know that,'' she snaps, cheeks flushing red. ''I was just testing you.''

He stares at her doubtfully. ''Right.''

''Shut up,'' she mumbles defensively.

He does not smirk at her or laugh, which he thinks is very big of him. Instead, he keeps his mouth shut altogether and moves over to inspect the engine. He works in silence for a moment, with her hovering over him impatiently, and then he hesitantly breaks the silence with the question that he can't help but ask. ''So,'' he pauses to clear his throat, keeping his eyes on the car and not on Beth. ''Your sister... What's she like?'' When he finally allows his gaze to slither upwards, she is staring at him with one perfect eyebrow raised.

She doesn't look too impressed with the question. ''Creepy as fuck,'' she deadpans. ''And riddled with far too many issues.'' She looks over her shoulder, as if half expecting Ruby to show up and call her out on her nastiness. She puckers her red lips and leans in closer to him, dropping her voice down to a low murmur. ''Walk away, Dean,'' she advises.

He moves away from her and blows out an exasperated breath. In hindsight, maybe she wasn't the best person to ask about Ruby. Why do all of these people keep trying to warn him away from her? What the fuck is this? West Side Story? Oh, if he has to dance, he's gonna be so pissed. (Really, though. Don't these people know that telling him to stay away only serves to make Ruby that much more attractive in his eyes? Honestly, it's like no one has seen any movie ever.) He clicks his tongue at Beth. ''What a lovely thing to say about your sister,'' he mutters. ''Your Sister of the Year award should be arriving any day now.''

The out of character serious expression on Beth's face never slips. ''I'm not kidding,'' she says. ''Ruby's not...'' She shifts, suddenly looking a little uncomfortable as she looks away from him. ''She's not like other girls, all right?''

''Good.''

''No, not... Just - '' She breaks off in a frustrated groan, rubbing at her forehead. ''Look, Dean,'' she straightens her posture and puts one hand on her hip. He's not sure what she's trying to do with her stance right now, but if she's trying to intimidate him, it is not working. ''Trust me. You don't want her.''

He looks at her sharply and clenches his jaw. He is not sure what kind of relationship exists between Beth and Ruby, but something about someone actively trying to sabotage their sibling's personal life just doesn't sit well with him at all. ''I think I can decide who I want,'' he gives her a pointed look and slams the hood shut. ''And who I _don't _want.'' He shoots her a cold smile and holds his hand out, palm up. ''Keys.''

''Ruby has Aspergers, you know,'' Beth blurts out, depositing her keys into his hand.

He sends her a sidelong glance. ''Beth, I don't need you - ''

''It's an autism spectrum disorder,'' she goes on. ''She can be...inappropriate sometimes, without meaning it. And there are some things that she can't understand. Things to do with social interactions. Friends. Dates. She has a really hard time with communication.'' She gives him a grim smile. ''She's not the perfect woman, Dean, and I think it would be best if you stayed away from her.''

He crosses his arms and studies her carefully. He can't truthfully say that this revelation is something that he had been expecting. But still. _Fuck Beth._ She's not his keeper. ''You know what, Beth?'' He forces out a chuckle. ''I don't think you have any idea what perfect is.''

She looks indignant. ''I'm just telling you the truth!'' She squeaks out in defense, and stomps her foot to put unnecessary emphasis on her point.

He ignores her. ''I'll get the car back to you when I can,'' he promises, jingling her keys.

''Dean, wait!'' Her heels clack on the pavement as she chases after him, grasping his arm. ''...Do you think I could get a ride?''

She is lucky that his boys show up and stop him before he has a chance to say anything that he'll regret. Literally a millisecond before he says something nasty, the front door opens and Copper bounds out, followed by Ben and Sam. Copper rushes over to him, whimpering excitedly as she jumps up at him and pushes at his hand, wanting to be petted. ''Daddy!'' Ben squeaks out, struggling down the steps with his teddy bear clutched to his chest. He dodges Sam's hands, making it to the bottom of the steps and then throwing himself at Dean, wrapping himself around a leg. He peers up at his dad with a gummy smile and wide eyes. ''Hi!''

Dean promptly forgets all about Beth. ''Hey, buddy!'' He lifts Ben into his arms with an enthusiastic greeting and receives a sloppy kiss on the cheek in response. ''How was your day?''

Ben blinks innocently and holds up his bear. ''Mommy misseded you.'' Then he pouts and pats his stomach. ''And my tummy's hungry.''

Beth, still scowling and grouchy, remains in the background, huffy and forgotten about.

.

.

.

Hey, listen.

''Issues'' or not, Dean is still completely captivated by Ruby and her enigmatic presence (that he will figure out if it's the last thing he does) and if there is one thing about life that he understands it's that you have to take a chance every now and then.

For the next two days, he continues to find new and inventive (read: pathetic and obvious) ways to see Ruby. The day after Beth spills those godforsaken metaphorical beans about Ruby's deep dark secrets is a Saturday and Sam is busy with his summer reading list (fucking seriously?) so Dean takes advantage of his free time and takes Ben over to Joey and Victoria's so the kid can visit with Victoria, who has become somewhat of a substitute grandmother. ''Visit with Victoria'' is, of course, code for ''see Ruby.'' When he first gets there, Victoria is the only one home but she is delighted to see them and she's busy making cookies, so she invites them inside to help her. And to lick the bowl.

Right after the sugar cookies have been put in the oven and Victoria is whipping up some fresh icing so that Ben can decorate cookies, the front door opens and shuts and a voice calls out, ''Mom!''

Dean perks up.

Ben keeps on licking the spatula in his hand.

''Mom, they didn't have the - oh.'' Ruby stops short as soon as she steps into the kitchen, her eyes falling on Ben and then on Dean. She holds the paper supermarket bags in her arms a little tighter. ''Hello,'' she utters.

An easy smile falls on Dean's lips effortlessly. ''Hi, Ruby.''

The emotions on her face flicker from startled to confused to worried to pleased and then she eventually settles on a careful indifference. She looks to her mother, who merely offers her daughter a cautious smile before going back to her icing. Ruby looks over at Ben, then back up at Dean. Her knuckles are white. ''Hello,'' she says again, slower this time.

''Hi,'' Ben chirps.

Ruby looks almost physically pained by the awkwardness. She opens her mouth to speak, but winds up digging her teeth into her bottom lip.

Dean rises to his feet gracefully and moves over to her, taking the bags from her arms. She allows him to take the bags, but looks nervous and won't meet his eye. She toys with the antique locket around her neck, running her thumb over the surface again and again. She looks decidedly more uncomfortable than she did the other night. He gathers it's because_ he _has caught _her _off guard this time.

Victoria frowns worriedly and her eyes dart back and forth between Dean and Ruby. ''Ruby,'' she says. ''Sweetie, why don't you - ''

''Did you know that there are people who work in factories that have to do the same thing over and over again?'' Dean cuts in, eyes locked on Ruby. ''For hours, they just stand there doing the same tedious thing over and over again and it has to be exactly the same. Exactly. And that,'' he crows proudly. ''Is something that _needs _to be re-done.''

Victoria, eyebrows raised in hopeless confusion, looks back and forth in between them.

Ruby looks up at him, licks her lips slowly and then she smiles.

(It's a start.)

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In a turn of events that seems to surprise everyone, Ruby turns out to be amazing with Ben. Actually, she probably likes Ben more than she likes Ben's father. (Ben's father can understand that.) She is hesitant and stand offish at first, shying away from Ben as if she's afraid she will break him just by breathing the same air, but then the boy dips his whole hand in the frosting while Dean and Victoria's backs are turned and Ruby jumps in with a napkin before he can smear the bright blue icing all over.

And then they're best friends.

Ben and Ruby spend the entire afternoon together, all but ignoring Dean and Victoria. Ruby is so patient it's almost unnatural. She decorates cookies with him, she plays games with him and she is constantly making him giggle. It is clearly something that is unexpected if the looks she's getting from her parents are anything to go on. The Winchester boys end up staying for dinner, after an attempt to leave ends with Ben gripping the door knob and screaming at an obnoxious volume.

When Sam shows up for dinner, he thinks it's fucking hilarious that Ben has managed to steal his dad's love interest away.

Later, after a much too huge meal that probably could have fed an army, Dean corners Ruby while she's in the kitchen trying to uncork a wine bottle. She startles at first when he makes his presence known, nearly gouging herself. Her deer-in-headlights eyes instantly try to seek out an escape route.

''Just so you know,'' he tells her. ''My son thinks you're the shit.''

She relaxes slightly. Her tongue pokes into her cheek and she shoots him a look like she thinks he has lost his mind. ''I don't know what that means.''

''He likes you,'' he explains. ''You're really good with him. Like...'' He pauses, choosing his words carefully. ''Almost better than me good.''

She smirks at him and a curiously beautiful but deadly type look glimmers in her eyes. Her fingers slip around the neck of the wine bottle and she holds the uncorked bottle between her fingers loosely. ''Children,'' she starts, gliding out from around the table. ''Are easy to understand. They tell you when they hurt or when they need something or when they're embarrassed by you.'' She continues taking slow and deliberate steps towards him and he's not sure why but he takes a step back. It's almost like her body is commanding him to do it. She doesn't have a huge reaction to this, but there is a tiny and barely visible spark in her eyes, like a fire, like a thrill. ''They don't expect you to automatically know what they're thinking,'' she continues. His back hits the counter top and she keeps moving, inching closer and closer to him. Her voice is a soft, breathy rasp and her eyes are low and warm. Blood related or not, he is starting to see the resemblance between her and her sister. ''There is little room for error,'' she adds on. ''Also,'' she comes to a stop in front of him, still smirking and still holding onto the bottle of wine. ''Your son is probably one of the cutest kids I have ever come across. So that's a plus.'' She leans in extremely close and his breath catches reflexively. She laughs. ''I can't quite figure you out, though,'' she says, more to herself than to him.

_Right back at you,_ he wants to fire back.

Her hand stretches around him to snatch a cookie from the plate on the counter behind him and he watches her bite into it with a bright, sunny smile on her lips. She steps back, tears her eyes away from him and steps to the side, marching right past him. He breathes out slowly and turns to watch her walk away.

In the doorway, Beth is leaning against the wall, clutching her wine glass tightly. She is glaring daggers at Dean. Even so, Ruby pays zero attention to her as she brushes past Beth and breezes back into the dining room. Beth swallows and does not look pleased. She narrows her eyes into slits and tries to stare Dean down, as he approaches her. Oh, if looks could kill. (Nah, if looks could kill the bitchface would've done him in years ago.) ''Dean,'' she hisses at him through clenched teeth. ''I swear to God - ''

''Beth,'' he sighs. ''Look, I'm not gonna re-enact _Cruel Intentions _with you here, so just back off. Stop being a pitbull.''

He walks away from her without a second glance and he misses the way her eyes flash with concern for a second before she gulps down the rest of her wine and pastes on a glower. (Sisters, man. You don't mess with sisters.)

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On Sunday, Dean finds himself with another easy excuse to see Ruby. Thanks to Ben. Ben has a date with Ruby on Sunday. On Saturday night, his kid throws an epic terrible twos tantrum when they have to leave. Dean tries explaining to him that they don't live with Joey and Victoria and if they don't go home, Copper will miss them. However, all Ben says to that is that he thinks that he and Copper should move in with ''Miss Ruby'' now. No joke. His two year old son actually tries to break up with him in order to spend more time with Ruby. Dean is not sure whether to be impressed or disturbed. When that master plan crashes and burns, Ben cries and screams and refuses to leave his newfound bestie until she agrees to go the park with him tomorrow. And just like that Dean and Ben have a date with Miss Ruby.

Dean is convinced that his son is some sort of evil genius.

Unfortunately, the world's smallest super villain is not on his side. In the car on the way home, Ben is sniffling and teary eyed but ultimately satisfied with the outcome of his bitch fit. He is in dire need of some sleep. That much Dean knows. Aside from the 'tude, which is a dead giveaway, he can tell by the way the toddler is staring out the window and holding his bear up to his face. Perhaps, because of this, it is not the best time to broach the tender subject of Ruby. ''So, Benny,'' Dean glances in the rearview mirror, small smile tugging at his lips. ''You like Ruby, huh?''

Despite the exhaustion, Ben lights up at the sound of her name, nodding emphatically. ''Yeah! She-She's my friend!''

''Is she your _girlfriend_?'' Sam teases.

Ben makes a face. ''No!''

''Would you mind if she was my friend, too?'' Dean asks carefully, and that one little question awakens the beast.

Eyes darkening considerably, Ben points a finger at his father and firmly declares, ''No! She's _my_ friend! Not yours!''

Oh, snap. Thwarted by a two year old.

''She can have more than one friend,'' Sam points out patiently.

Ben remains stubborn. ''No,'' he pouts, burying his face in Mommy's head.

''What about my girlfriend?'' Dean tries. ''Can she be my girlfriend?''

Sam side eyes him. ''That's bold of you,'' he comments.

''No,'' Ben shakes his head. ''She's mine!'' There are frustrated and tired tears beginning to well in his eyes. He sticks his nose up in the air and wipes his nose on his bear. ''You can have Copper.''

''All right,'' Dean grumbles. ''Chill, little dude. I won't steal your girl.''

In the passenger seat, Sam shakes his head. ''It's not polite to lie to children,'' he says sagely. ''I think you should just stick with Copper,'' he nods. ''I'm sure she'll keep you nice and warm at night.'' Then he starts to laugh and can't stop.

Dean rolls his eyes. ''Oh, shut up.''

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The next day, he takes Ben for his play date in the park with Ruby and again, he is largely ignored. The time that is not spent watching Ben is spent unsuccessfully trying to engage Ruby in conversation. She doesn't seem all that interested in him to be honest and if he were another man, he would probably be backing off right about now. That might seem like the, uh, respectable thing to do. But hey! Maybe he doesn't want to be respectable. (Shut up.) The fact that she does not appear to want him only makes her more interesting. She's like some kind of prize. He supposes that is a slightly dickish way of looking at the situation. It's just that the prizes that are the hardest to win are usually the ones that are the most worth it in the end.

He tries hard not to talk about this fact very often, but he's read a lot of parenting books since being thrust into fatherhood. A good pile of those books have been about being a single parent. When you're a single parent, all of the books you read are sort of like mini-cheerleaders. They are all about empowerment and how you can do it, you can do it, and about making sure that your child has a stable environment despite the missing parent (because all parenting books are condescending - single parent or not) and hey - that's fine. There is a certain amount of positivity to be found in those books and positivity is one of the most important qualities in life. But one of the things that all of those books fail to mention is how truly debilitating the loneliness can get, and he is so tired of being lonely.

The afternoon does not at all go like he thought it would. Ben charms Ruby with a snap of his little fingers. Dean has no such luck. His attempts at wooing her get him a lot of odd looks and a lot of awkward, nervous fidgeting. She only ever talks to him about Ben and she flat out refuses to meet his eyes.

There's a part of him that can't blame her. She is so far out of his league that it's not even funny. Deep down, some part of him has always wanted a life with a woman who can take his shit and a couple of great kids who don't have to be afraid of the dark. He hadn't realized that until Ben came along. Before Ben, it was a pipe dream. Something he could want, but something he could never get. But now that he's out of the hunting and living like any other normal person out there, he has suddenly been forced to come to terms with another reality: All of the women who would be good enough to be a stepmother to Ben are way too good for him. Especially Ruby.

(That's one of the things about being a parent, you see. One of the things that none of the books talk about. It makes you realize how important it is to feel okay with yourself. Dean should probably work on that.)

Sometime around four thirty, Ben is half asleep and needs to get home to have a nap ASAP. Ruby reluctantly agrees to Dean's courteous offer of a ride home and she stays stiff and rigid the entire way home, eyes on the passing scenery. He figures she'll probably want to get as far away from him as soon as she can, because that's what her body language has been telling him all day. But then he pulls into the Daniels' driveway, cuts the engine and she doesn't get out. She sighs and drops her gaze to her lap, playing with her locket again. He watches her out of the corner of his eye and then glances at Ben, conked out in his car seat. His fingers start to twitch towards her. ''Ruby - ''

She whips her head around to face him abruptly and he drops his hand. ''Why are you interested in me?''

He raises his eyebrows. ''I - What?''

''Why are you interested in me?'' She repeats. ''I mean, you flirt with me, you ask me questions about myself that you shouldn't give a shit about, and when I'm standing next to Beth, you look at me. Why?''

He curls his fingers around the steering wheel briefly and then lets his hands fall to his lap. ''Well,'' he begins. ''You're beautiful...''

''Not good enough,'' she murmurs, sounding disappointed. ''If this was based purely off of looks, you wouldn't be trying so hard. You don't know me, but you - ''

''It's _because_ I don't know you,'' he blurts.

She stares at him, unflinching and blank.

''I don't know you,'' he elaborates. ''But I want to. This is going to sound really bad, but it's not often that I want to know someone as much as I want to know you.''

She pinches her lips together. ''And what if you don't like what you find?'' Her voice is casual and light, but there is an edge to it that sharpens her tone. He doesn't answer her right away, because he doesn't know what to say and after a second too long of silence, she doesn't give him a chance to say anything. She turns her whole body to face him and fumbles for something to say to him. ''Look, Dean... I...I'm going to go ahead and assume that Beth has told you some things about me and most of them are probably true. I have issues... A lot of them. I have Aspergers. I sleepwalk when I'm stressed. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night crying and screaming and I don't know why. Tell me, are you still interested in me?''

He leans in just a little closer to her. ''Yes.''

She exhales quietly and a light blush creeps up her cheeks. She looks away from him quickly and sends a look in the direction of her parents' house. Some of the hesitance drains out of her face, replaced by a fleeting smile and she looks back at him. Without a word, she leans in to close the distance between them, brings a hand to his face and kisses his cheek gently. Her hair tickles his face. ''You're foolish,'' she says to him, but she doesn't say no.

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_**John Bender: **__Why'd you do that?  
><em>_**Claire Standish: **__'Cause I knew you wouldn't._

**- The Breakfast Club (1985)**

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**end chapter two**

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><p><strong>AN: Well, there you go! They've met and are in the throes of flirtation. I hope you all enjoyed their first meeting. Oh, and just a heads up: The next chapter probably won't be posted for awhile (probably not until the 15th or 16th) because Kathey is going to be out of town and then the chapter after that will probably be late as well, because I'll be going out of town. But bear with me, folks; I'm still working on this story and everything is running quite smoothly.<strong>

**Up Next:**

_Among other things, Dean and Ruby go to the beach (no, seriously) and he continues with his attempts to woo her._


	3. turn around, bright eyes

_AN: Hi, lovelies! I'm back with another chapter! I apologize for the wait. But this chapter has some nice D/R relationship advancements that I hope make up for the wait. Unfortunately, I think there's going to be another ''pause'' in between this chapter and the next. I'm going to be out of town for a little bit, so I'll be away from the computer and the internet (and I'm going to miss Friday's SPN, which pisses me off to no end because BOBBY, GODDAMN IT! BOBBY!) Thank you all in advance for your patience. Love you all!_

_Chapter title from the song ''Total Eclipse of the Heart'' by Bonnie Tyler._

**Disclaimer: **I own none of the characters you recognize.

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><p><strong>I Melt With You<strong>

_Written by Becks Rylynn_

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><p><strong>Chapter Three<strong>

_turn around, bright eyes_

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><p>.<p>

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_**Andie Walsh: **__Well, not nothing. I mean, I kissed him.  
><em>_**Iona: **__Anywhere interesting?_

**- Pretty In Pink (1986)**

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He waits a few days and then he takes a leap of faith and decides to ask her out on a date. It is longer than he would have waited before.

On Thursday afternoon, while he's on his lunch break, he has to swing by the bar to drop Beth's aging car off. It's a last minute decision that he makes when he sees her. He's only known her for a week and she still seems to prefer his son over him, but they at least chat now without extreme awkwardness. He has spent time with her once a day since Sunday and the more he gets to know her the more attracted he is to her. So he asks her out. It's not rocket science. He has no patience for slow burns. He does not want to be friends. He knows what he wants and he doesn't feel it's necessary to wait any longer.

There are a few lingering lunch customers when he enters the bar, but the place is calm and quiet for the most part. Behind the bar, Beth is talking away to her father and across the room, Ruby is clearing a table. She looks up when he enters, falters just enough to knock over an empty glass and then goes right back to what she's doing. Dean shoots a pointed look in Beth's direction and holds up her keys, jingling them noisily.

Instantly, Beth abandons her father and lets out a little squeal of happiness, darting over to him. ''Thank fuck,'' she bursts out dramatically. ''I can officially breathe again.''

''Get a new car,'' he advises. ''It _will_ blow up. Do you understand me? It will blow up and you will die.''

She scoffs and blatantly ignores him, puckering her lips into a pout. ''Hey,'' she sashays closer to him and touches his arm. ''So I know I said I wasn't going to pay you, but...''

He tunes out the sound of her voice and cranes his neck to look around her shoulder. Ruby isn't paying attention, focusing intently on wiping down the dirty tables in the bar. There is a determined frown on her face and her eyebrows are furrowed in concentration. When Dean eventually has to switch his attention back to Beth, she has just finished offering him sex as payment for fixing her car. (He misses the way Ruby lifts her eyes, unhappily looking at the too small space between her sister and Dean.) Dean heaves a sigh and does not react at all to Beth's bedroom eyes. ''That's called prostitution.''

She cackles. ''Such an ugly word.''

''Yeah, no,'' he slams her offer down effortlessly, looking over her shoulder again. ''No way in hell.'' He moves to side step, to get around her and to get to Ruby, but she moves with him. Her flirtatious eyes darken and she sends him a warning glare. He moves the other way; she goes with him. They repeat this at least twice more, until he's ready to throttle her, and then he stops and stares down at her, blinking. ''Step off, betty.''

''Dean - ''

Officially out of patience, he grips her arms, lifts her right off the floor and puts her aside like she's a human chess piece. She makes a small ''eep'' noise and huffs, but he pays no attention to her, striding towards Ruby and hoping that he won't lose his nerve halfway through asking her out. The old Dean wouldn't have any problem asking a girl out, but then again the old Dean probably wouldn't care as much as the new Dean does. (It doesn't help that it has been a very long time since he asked someone out on a date and he's almost afraid that the rules may have changed since he has been out of the game.)

She doesn't acknowledge his presence until he's right in front of her and even then, it's just to tell him that, ''Now's not a good time. I'm working.''

''Do you always spend your summer vacation working?''

''I like working,'' she mutters without looking at him. ''It relaxes me.'' She stands straight to send him a questioning look. ''Don't you like your work?''

''It's...fine,'' he shrugs. ''It's work. I'd rather be at home.''

She shakes her head at him and moves past him to the other side of the table. ''Then maybe you're not doing what you love.''

''Ruby,'' he braces his hands on the table and leans forwards. ''Go out with me.''

''I can't,'' she shoots him down in an instant, unapologetic and blunt. ''I'm working. Don't make me repeat myself.''

''Not now,'' he corrects. ''Tonight. Or tomorrow. Whenever.''

She stops what she's doing and stands straight once more. She studies him for a moment and then says, ''You should really try to elaborate.''

His lips twist into a smile. ''I'll work on that. ...So, what do you say?''

''Well,'' she bites her lip and touches her necklace. ''Where would we go?''

He wavers and regrets not thinking this through just a little more. ''I don't know. I could take you out to dinner.''

She hefts the bucket of dirty dishes into her arms. ''I don't like strangers preparing my food.'' She moves past him without another word, brushing his shoulder on the way past.

He remains standing frozen, blinking and completely unsure of how to proceed. She's doing this on purpose. ''Okay,'' he follows after her, catching up to her and nearly bumping into her when she stops to pick up a plate. ''Then we could go see a movie.''

She stops walking and turns around, coming this close to whacking him with the bucket in her arms. She doesn't even notice. ''Which one?''

''Pick one.''

''It's highly unlikely that we have the same taste in movies,'' she says logically. ''If I pick a movie and you don't like it, it could cloud the entire evening with resentment and - ''

''Then we'll agree on the movie beforehand.''

''Would it be at the movie theater?''

''That would be the general idea, yes.''

''Well, which one? There are a few here. And is a movie really a good choice? It would severely hinder the ability to have a conversation and we have to factor in - ''

''Ruby!'' He brings his hands to her shoulders and splutters out a short bark of incredulous laughter. She barely notices, glancing down at his hands on her. He trails his hands down her arms and takes the heavier than expected bucket from her hands, placing it atop the bar. ''Ruby,'' he tries again, taking her hands.

''Yes?''

''I want to go on a date with you.''

She appears genuinely floored by that. Surprise melts into her eyes and her lips form an 'o' shape. God help him, he thinks it's fucking adorable. She quickly masks the surprise on her face by pursing her lips and giving him a suspicious onceover. ''Why? So you can say you've banged both the Daniels' sisters?''

He laughs, not unkindly. ''No. Because I like you.''

''Oh.'' She goes beet red and has to duck her head. ''...Yeah, okay.''

He drops her hands and takes a step back. ''Really?''

She looks up at him with a grin and swats at his chest. ''Don't act so surprised, Winchester.'' And then she winks at him, spins on her heel and walks away.

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Their date is like a pop song.

He would like to preface this by saying that he hates the beach. Beaches are sunny and sandy and unpleasant. The sand gets everywhere, the salt water is sticky and cold, and he freckles like a motherfucker. Boardwalks are also a big no-no for him because there is always a crowd and he is not a fan of crowds. They're too _crowded._ As far as he is concerned, beaches and boardwalks can go fuck themselves. He is a country boy. He was built for cold weather and dust and not a lot of people.

Ruby, though...

She was made for the beach. She thrives in the sun and sand. Part of the reason why she decided to go to UCLA instead of NYU was because of the beaches. She is all for swimming in the ocean and making sandcastles. (This is important. But not right now.) These are things that he doesn't necessarily learn on their _first _date, but they are things he suspects.

Their first date is on a warm Friday night with the sky full of stars and beauty, and she tells him when he picks her up that she doesn't want to waste it locked inside of a too cold movie theater. They drive down to Point Pleasant Beach instead, because she wants to and they walk along the boardwalk, because she wants to. He thinks that the fact that he's letting her boss him around must mean something. He's just not sure what. (Can't say he's ever been in this situation before.) Not counting that one date with Alicia Nelson that he will never speak of ever again, it's about the corniest date he's been on.

And fuck it, he has a great time.

Truth is he doesn't think it would have mattered where they went or what they did. He has a great time because he's with her. Fuck you, he's allowed to say that. He's normal now. It goes as well as a first date could go. There are awkward pauses and strange quirks that you wouldn't have expected the other to have in a million years, but there is a level of comfort that he doesn't think he's ever had with another woman.

Mostly, on the first date, there is a lot of talking. They talk about their childhoods, about Ben, about her school, the fact that they both grew up with hunters for fathers, he makes her tell him more about the first night they met (the one he can't remember) and she makes him tell her his most embarrassing story.

It flows. He _likes_ this girl and he's not afraid of liking her. That's why it's different. He's not going to be packing up and leaving her in a couple weeks, never to be seen or heard from again. They could have a future together if they wanted to.

Oddly enough, that takes the pressure off.

Their first date is simple, as it should be, and merely consists of getting to know each other. It seems like the date is only a couple of hours, not nearly long enough, but when Dean drops Ruby off at her parents' place, it's nearly one in the morning. She is the one asking him out this time, proposing that she cook him and the boys dinner tomorrow night. She hesitates on her doorstep before she says goodnight to him and he doesn't even have the time to wonder if he should be trying to kiss her because she steps down off the stoop, curls her hand around his shirt and plants one on him. She stands on her tip toes and kisses him softly on the lips.

She is a great kisser. She tastes like cherry lip gloss and there is warmth in her kiss that he takes great delight in. It's not like a _'how horny am I?' _kind of warmth that is spreading to his lower regions either; it's more of a _'this girl is some kind of special' _type of warmth that floods through every part of him. It's not an over the top kiss, just a soft kiss on the lips, open mouthed, no tongue.

She pulls away, eyes sparkling, and lays a hand on his chest. ''Good night, Dean,'' she murmurs, tweaking his ear. She gives him a secretive smile that's just for him and the she winks. ''I'll see you tomorrow.''

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Best date ever.

For serial.

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Their second date goes even better. It even involves chaos and smoke alarms. On their second official date, she shows up on his doorstep with about a billion grocery bags, fully prepared to make dinner for four. Like most everything he has seen her do, productivity wise, she throws herself into preparing for a gourmet roast chicken dinner, complete with roasted potatoes and green beans. The only problem with this scenario is that she cannot cook to save her life. She also does not like to be corrected, which leads to them getting into their first bickering match. She has such a great time getting to know Sam that all of the problems that follow, regarding just how edible the food is, rolls right off of her. She already loves Ben and Ben already adores her, so her mission tonight is to get Sam and Copper on Team Ruby.

Sam is easy. They chat while he's helping her with dinner and geek out over foreign languages and classic literature. By the end of the night, there are_ two _other dudes who Dean is going to have to wrestle just to get her attention for a split second. (He wouldn't have it any other way.)

It's Copper who winds up being the bitch of the night. You know that thing that cats do when they don't trust you and are plotting world domination? How their backs arch and their hair stands on end while they circle you, hissing and calling you names in their heads? Copper does that to people she doesn't like or trust. Ruby is, apparently, one of those people. Because - yeah, Ben may think he's a dog sometimes, but Copper thinks she's a cat all of the time. She is quite obviously very, very wary about having another female sniffing around her boys. When she's not eyeing Ruby distrustfully, she is growling if the chick even dares to touch a Winchester.

No matter what Ruby does (and she does a lot - from offering Copper dog treats to crossing her heart and swearing out loud that she is not a gold digger nor is she an infamous heartbreaker) Copper does not approve. Girl has so many issues it's not even funny. (It's a little funny...)

But Ruby is in a determinedly good mood tonight. Not even CatDog can ruin that. Not even dinner mishaps can spoil the evening. When she burns the potatoes and sets off the smoke alarm, she shrugs and throws them away. When the chicken comes out undercooked and pink, she pops it back in the oven without even a groan of frustration. When the chicken then comes out way too dry and inedible and everyone is sitting around the dinner table trying to politely force it down, she takes it all in stride. ''Oh!'' She drops her fork and looks up, eyes lit up happily. ''Grilled cheese and tomato soup! I can do that!''

They wind up having a strange meal that consists of grilled cheese, chicken noodle soup (they were out of tomato soup) and green beans (which, let's be honest, nobody eats) and - yeah, all right. It's not exactly the gourmet meal she was going for, but it doesn't even touch her. She apologizes smoothly and tells them that she may not be a master chef, but she can bake. A fact that she then proves by serving them an apple pie that blows all other pies out of the water (her mother taught her, she explains).

Also, she wins over Copper during the meal. She gives her part of a grilled cheese and then gives her a small scoop of vanilla ice cream. Copper's pretty much good to go after that, giving her stamp of approval by rubbing her head against Ruby's legs because...because that is what cats do.

She has officially earned a place in the Winchester family by the end of the evening.

He is the one who kisses her this time, in the driveway, up against her car. She is smiling knowingly, a twinkle in her eye as she tells him to, ''Admit it. There was a large part of this evening that was a test.''

He chuckles. ''Oh, it was a big test.''

''Well, don't keep me in suspense,'' she teases. ''Tell me, Mr. Winchester. Did I pass?''

He steps closer to her and daringly snakes an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his body. ''With flying colors.'' He leans in slowly and kisses her, one hand coming up to cup her cheek, thumb brushing over her soft skin. It's a little more than their first kiss and there is a little tongue this time, but it's still not too much, even if he perhaps wants too much. She melts into him and kisses back, one hand weaving around to the small of his back, his shirt held tightly between her fingers. ''Well,'' he announces when he pulls away. ''I think this is going very well, don't you think this is going very well?''

She laughs and brings a hand to his cheek. ''It is. Don't jinx it.''

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''I like her,'' Sam declares from his spot in between Ben and Copper, with the dog's head in his lap and the toddler leaning against him, happily sucking down some apple juice. ''She...'' He pauses, nose wrinkling as he searches for the right words. ''...She fits.''

Dean is sure that the goofy way his entire face lights up is probably a little embarrassing, but he doesn't give a fuck. ''Yeah?''

Sam nods and offers his brother a small meaningful smile. ''Yeah.''

Ben yanks his sippy cup away from his lips with a disgruntled scoff. ''Can you _puh-lease _go sshh now? I am _trying_ to watch Thomas. ...And his friends!''

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The next week is hectic and doesn't leave a whole lot of room for romance. The night after their second date is a Sunday, which means dinner at Joey and Victoria's place for Dean, Ben and Sam. Other than sneaking away to make out a little in her childhood bedroom in between dinner and dessert, there are no significant developments in Dean and Ruby's brand spanking new relationship (holy shit, are we already in _relationship _territory?) Monday is Monday. Dean works, Sam babysits Ben for the day and Ruby is busy helping her mother scout out locations for the new bakery that Victoria is supposedly hoping to open. On Tuesday, Dean unexpectedly gets off work early so he takes Ruby to the movies (in the future, he will have to remember that movie theaters and Ruby do not mix because she likes to talk throughout the entire thing) and then cooks her dinner. Wednesday is another boring day of work, work and more work. After Wednesday, he doesn't have to work until the following Tuesday because his boss' in-laws are in town and the garage is closed. On Thursday, Ben has a doctor's appointment and Ruby's busy, so aside from a brief visit after dinner when she drops off a basket of muffins from her mother, Dean and Ruby have no interaction.

Real life is boring.

And it prevents dates. That is one of the things about normalcy that Dean could do without.

But then there's Friday and Friday is date night.

Dean doesn't start out the evening expecting anything to happen. He starts out the evening stressed out and running late, running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He likes Ruby and he has a genuinely good time on these dates, but it's still really hard to force himself to leave Ben for hours at a time. He knows Sam is capable and he knows Ben always has a great time with his Uncle Sammy, but it's just hard. Sometimes Dean feels like he's burdening his brother (''don't be an idiot,'' is Sam's response to this fear, ''you like a girl. Get out of here and enjoy it. It's not the end of the world'') and sometimes he feels like he's robbing his son of time with his father.

It's really hard to date and be a parent at the same time. You have to find someone who understands that no matter what, your main focus is always going to be on your child. (There is a certain kind of _helplessness _that comes with being a parent.) He may not know everything about Ruby yet, but one of the things he does know is that she understands this.

When he finally makes it to Ruby's, she flings open the door and doesn't comment on his tardiness. Instead, before he can even tell her that she looks nice, she very bluntly says, ''Just so you know, this is our fourth official date. Your chances of getting laid tonight are extremely high.''

Behind her, her father eyes her over the top of his newspaper and then narrows his eyes at Dean.

Dean blinks at her. ''Ruby,'' he gets out. ''Your father is sitting right there.''

This does not bother her in the slightest. ''He knows I'm a grown woman. Daddy,'' she spins to smile calmly at her father. ''Does my sex life bother you?''

Joey closes the newspaper. ''You don't have a sex life.''

''...Yes, I do. I could even tell you how many - ''

''Whatever,'' Joey snaps, rising to his feet. ''Just shut up about it. These are not the things I want to hear about.'' Grumbling under his breath, he snatches up his newspaper and spins on his heel, stomping away in the direction of the kitchen.

Dean stares after Joey's retreating back, torn between bewildered and relieved that he hasn't been pistol whipped. He turns his focus back to Ruby. ''Are you trying to provoke your father into busting my kneecaps?''

''Don't be silly,'' she chastises him lightly. ''He would never bust your kneecaps.'' She grabs her purse and steps out into the night, closing the door behind her. ''He'd just shoot you.''

.

.

.

The date goes off without a hitch. She drags him to some boring art exhibit that one of her high school friends has something to do with and then they go to a bar that turns out to be too loud and too smoky. But it's not really what happens during the date that's important. It's what happens after.

At around two in the morning, long after Ben and Sam have gone to sleep, after a night of drinking, talking and laughing, Dean takes Ruby back to his place. They are not drunk. They're not even tipsy. They have both consumed just enough alcohol to lower their inhibitions, but not enough so that they don't know what they're doing. They know exactly what they're doing.

It starts out innocently, with an offer of coffee.

The house is quiet, all other residents fast asleep, and they're both glad to be back in a more relaxed environment, unlike the overly noisy bar that they had chosen to go to. Everything is lazy and comfortable. Ruby is sitting on the couch with her feet curled under her, Dean is making coffee, and Copper is lounging on the armchair, watching closely. Ruby is a little quiet and when he gets back into the living room with the coffee pot and the mugs, he thinks he might see a note of anxiety in her eyes. He doesn't know why, until she decides to just jump headfirst into the subject on her mind. (The subject on her mind being intercourse.)

''Dean?'' She begins quietly, as he's leaning forwards to spoon some sugar into his coffee mug.

''Hmm?''

''It's common courtesy to exchange info about past sexual partners with future lovers to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases - ''

He jerks involuntarily, effectively startled, and he spills the sugar. ''Jesus Christ.''

'' - And I want you to know I'm clean and healthy.''

''Oh, well, uh,'' he clears his throat and tries not to trip and stumble over his words. ''That's...That's good to know.''

Blankly, she reaches forwards to put her mug down on the table. Completely oblivious to the stunned look on his face, she goes on. ''You're clean as well, right?''

Still dumbfounded (not by her question or even the topic, but by her directness), he manages a nod. ''I - yes?''

His answer doesn't seem to appease her in the slightest because she pulls her lips into a thin line and folds her hands in her lap primly. ''You sound unsure.''

''No, I'm sure,'' he assures her. ''I'm all good. I just... You have no patience for subtlety, do you?''

''Very little. Also, I'm on birth control pills but I think it's best that we also use condoms. Kids are nice but you already have one and I don't think either of us is equipped for another right now. So, I have some, but for your comfort, yours are probably best because at this time I don't know anything about your preference or your...'' She trails off, pinching her lips together briefly. ''...Size. You do have condoms, right?''

Once again at a loss for words, he nods dumbly.

She nods in satisfaction. ''Now, am I safe in assuming that your last sexual encounter was with my sister?''

He sucks in a regretful breath. ''...Uh, yeah...''

''Mmmhmm. Mine was on Halloween night with this guy from my dorm. He was dressed as the devil.'' She stops again, momentarily, and looks down. Her fingers meticulously tug at her dress, picking at the fabric. She clears her throat uncomfortably and one hand flies to the locket around her neck, smoothing her thumb over it again. ''...He wasn't very nice.''

His lips thin. It makes him irrationally angry to think of her being treated wrong. (It is a fast fall with this girl. He'll realize that later.) He watches her for a moment and then hesitantly takes her hand. He feels a little bit like an awkward fifteen year old virgin about to lose it in the backseat of a car (again) but he has come to realize that this is nothing new when it comes to Ruby. Everything kind of feels like the first time with her, as painfully cliché as that sounds. (He has been told that this feeling is a sign of something special.) ''I'll be nice,'' he promises.

She lifts her eyes and a small laugh gets stuck in her throat. ''Yes, I imagine you will be.''

He relaxes slightly but doesn't let go of her hand. ''You do this when you're nervous, don't you?''

The hand that is still fiddling with her locket falls away and she freezes as if she has been caught red handed. ''Do what?''

''Get all...'' He tries to search for a way to put it. ''...Literal and blunt.''

The tiny smile on her face turns into a full blown grin. It's that same_ 'I know something you don't' _smile that drew him into her gravity in the first place. ''Do you not like my bluntness?''

''Oh, I like it,'' he rasps. ''I just don't want you to be nervous with me. I'm not going to hurt you.''

''Oh, Dean,'' she murmurs, and crawls almost right into his lap. ''It's not you I'm worried about.'' She kisses him before he can ask what she means, and that's the end of that.

.

.

.

She seems to forget about whatever anxieties she's having the second she steps over the threshold into his bedroom. From there on out, she exudes confidence.

He meant it when he said he would be nice to her and it's a promise he keeps. There is no frenzy, no desperation; they are not frantically groping each other in the backseat of a car; they are not attempting to have a quickie in the bathroom of a bar or in a dirty alleyway. He takes his time, kisses her the way she should be kissed, touches her until she squirms...

She is not a nervous, inexperienced Virgin Mary either. She clearly knows what she's doing and she more than proves that to him. It's like a love song: the way he says her name, the sweat on their bodies, how she wraps her legs around him...

How strange.

He's had a lot of sex in his life, but he's never (he learns) had romance novel sex. It sounds massively roll-your-eyes cheesy and nauseatingly Harlequin, but it's actually quite mind blowing. He could totally get on board with _making love._

It doesn't occur to him until afterwards but somewhere in between the sweat and the moans, he realizes in the back of his mind what she could mean to him and the way he lives his life.

Forever.

She could mean forever.

That is, perhaps, one of the most terrifying feelings he has ever experienced. But it is also thrilling, exhilarating and intoxicating. (No wonder people fall in love.) Monogamy. Huh. He had never given it much thought before, because it had never been on the table before. He thinks he could enjoy it with her.

.

.

.

But.

(There's always a but, isn't there?)

.

.

.

He wakes up in the morning to chirping birds and sunny, sunny sunlight.

Alone.

.

.

.

Well.

All right, so clearly he has done something wrong somewhere along the line. He just can't figure out what. Did he say something to offend her? Was he not as nice as he thought he was? Did he hurt her? Did that thing he did with his tongue freak her out? Was the sex bad? (DEAR GOD, PLEASE NO.) He feels a little foolish, to be honest. He had thought everything was fine and dandy. He should have noticed if something was making her uncomfortable.

The morning is a tense affair for him. While he's busy pouring orange juice and making oatmeal for Ben, he's also got his phone pressed to his ear, desperately trying to get through to Ruby. She's not answering her cell and he's not about to phone her parents just to say ''oh, hi, I think your daughter and I had awkwardly bad sex last night and I'd like to try again so if you could just put her on the phone, that would be great, thanks'' and so he continues calling her cell, leaving message after message. Eventually, after about five missed calls, it starts going directly to voicemail.

Frustrated and more than a little hurt, Dean slams his phone down on the kitchen counter and slumps into a chair at the table. Across from him, Ben is quietly eating his oatmeal. Ben has always been one of those kids who are really quiet in the mornings. Even when he was a baby and up half the night screaming his lungs out, he was always cool and calm in the mornings. Today is no different. He has just recently managed to master the ability to eat oatmeal by himself and he's busy putting his newfound skills to the test, alternating between eating and wiping his sleep encrusted eyes on his bear. He watches his dad closely, following him with his eyes as Dean leaves one last confused and pleading message on Ruby's voicemail.

When Dean slams his phone down and collapses at the table, Ben regards him silently from his high chair. He puts his spoon down, picks up Mommy from the table and holds the bear out to Dean. ''Daddy,'' he says. ''Mommy make you feel better.''

Dean lets out a slightly subdued laugh and takes the sticky teddy bear. (Mental note: Wash Mommy.) ''Thanks, buddy.''

''You smile now,'' Ben orders firmly, leaving no room for discussion.

And so Dean smiles.

Satisfied with his cheer up daddy abilities, Ben scoops up another gooey spoonful of oatmeal and shovels it into his mouth. Between the bites of his goopy and sticky breakfast, he somehow manages to mumble out a question. It's a little hard to understand, but from what Dean deciphers, the question is something along the lines of, ''Do you think Miss Ruby will come over and play with us today?''

Dean lets out a long sigh and tightens his finger around the teddy bear. ''I don't know, kiddo. Probably not.''

''I like Miss Ruby,'' Ben says with a nod.

Dean stands, briefly running a hand over his son's head on the way to the coffee pot. ''I know. I like her too.''

Ben looks thoughtful. ''We should... We should keep her.''

Preaching to the choir.

Dean scoffs into his coffee. ''You have no idea, kid.''

.

.

.

The day does not go very well for Dean.

After breakfast, he suddenly realizes that playing one sided telephone tag is going to get him nowhere, so he drags Sam out of bed, tells him to watch Ben and goes in search of Ruby. His search is cut pathetically short when he remembers that other than her parents' place and the bar, he has no idea where she would go in this town. The day is overcast and chilly, with a cool breeze in the air, so he doubts she would head to the beach. He goes over to her parents' first and there is no answer when he knocks on the door. The bar is next, but it's closed for the day and he suddenly remembers that Joey and Victoria have headed out of town this morning, to spend their anniversary weekend in New York. He thinks about calling Beth for help, but quickly decides against that particular kamikaze mission because she'd probably just kill him or something equally as overdramatic. Discouraged and dejected, Dean has no choice but to return home, still unaware of what has happened that lead to this.

It doesn't take long for the rejection to wear off, quickly being replaced by indignation. He didn't do anything wrong. (At least he thinks he didn't do anything wrong... He couldn't have done anything wrong.) He doesn't know what her problem is, but it's not him. It can't be. He did everything right. Maybe...Maybe this is just how she gets her rocks off. Maybe this was all a fucking game to her. Well, fine. Who needs her anyway? He's got everything he needs.

With his nose stuck directly up in the air, feeling defensive and on edge, Dean goes about his day as normal as he can and does his best to at least pretend he's not thinking about her. He takes Ben and Copper to the dog park where he and Ben try to teach Copper how to high five and play dead, he fixes the leaky faucet in the kitchen, he does laundry, he goes grocery shopping and he almost manages to stop thinking about She Who Must Not Be Named a few times.

Buuut...

Then there's Beth.

Just before he has to start making dinner, he is playing a riveting game of Candyland with Ben. Right in the middle of the nail biting game, there is a fast, loud rapping at the door and Beth's shrill voice screeches out, ''Dean! Open this goddamn door! I know you're in there, you asshole!''

Dean groans and drops his head into his hands. Right. Of course. Just what he needs to make this day complete. He thinks maybe he should have seen this one coming.

Beside him, Ben looks up at him with worry in his eyes. Sam takes his eyes off his book and arches an eyebrow. Copper lets out a ferocious and overprotective growl.

''Sam, take over for me,'' Dean orders lightly, rising to his feet. ''Don't let this little cheater win.'' He sends what he hopes is a convincingly unfazed grin in his son's direction and winks, before striding over to the door. The moment he opens the door, he is greeted by a perfectly manicured hand.

When it slaps him in the face.

It's quite a hard slap and she's wearing a ring, so double ow. It is also massively unexpected and uncalled for. The slap may stun him, but Copper is all action. In the living room, Ben appears frightened by the act of violence against his father, crawling into Sam's lap quietly and as soon as she sees even a trace of fear on Ben's face, Copper is off like a rocket. Full on barking her face off, she leaps off the chair she had been napping on and races towards the foyer, ready to pounce on Beth. She is snarling and growling, baring her teeth protectively. In an effort to protect Beth from being mauled to death by the world's cutest guard dog, Dean quickly pushes her outside and closes the door, with Copper barking angrily on the other side of the door. Barely sparing a glance at Beth, he pokes his head back in the door and stares down at Copper. ''Jesus Christ,'' he grunts out when she pushes on the door with her front paws and nearly decapitates him. ''What's your damage? You're like a really hairy, really small jealous girlfriend. Take a chill pill, Copper.''

Copper sits down on the floor and lowers the tone of her growl.

''Seriously,'' he warns. ''Cool your fucking jets.''

He closes the door again and turns back around to face Beth, who appears to be getting more and more livid with each moment that passes. ''Beth,'' he greets cautiously. ''What can I do for - ''

''What'd you do to her, Dean?'' She demands, one hand on her hip.

''I didn't do anything.''

''Bullshit! Tell me what you did!''

''Nothing!''

She does not accept that answer. Her eyes flash and before he has a chance to stop her, she grabs his shirt with her fists of fury and shoves him back up against the door, eyes narrowed. ''I warned you,'' she says lowly. ''I told you to stay away from her. Do you think I said that just because I'm a crazy bitch? Please,'' she sneers. ''I am doing this to _protect_ my sister! I may be a crazy bitch, but I'm a crazy bitch who protects the people - ''

''What makes you think she needs protecting from me?'' He snaps, swatting her hands away from him and standing straight.

Her fiery eyes burn through him like streams of lava and she pokes at his chest. ''Every other guy who has shown interest in her in the past has fucked her over,'' she spits out venomously. ''They take advantage of her. Mistake her condition as naivety. Her last boyfriend... He put his hands on her. I will not let that happen again.''

His eyes darken at the implications in her last statement. He takes extreme offense to that. ''And you think I would do that?'' He hisses. ''I am not an asshole, Beth.''

She softens a little and her shoulders visibly deflate. She doesn't say anything else for a moment, sighing and shaking her head. ''People...'' She trails off, fidgeting uncomfortably. She presses a hand to her forehead, looking flustered. ''They mistake her for some naive, innocent little girl who doesn't know any better,'' she says quietly. ''They think they can just take whatever they want to take from her. They think they can take advantage of her.'' Her eyes, apparently permanently stuck between frustration and desperation, flick upwards briefly. ''She's fragile, Dean. She needs - ''

''Right there!'' His sudden outburst startles her into silence and when he points an accusing finger at her, she takes a step backwards. ''Right there, Beth!'' He presses on. ''There's your problem. Do you honestly believe she's a fragile little doll who can't take care of herself? Because you're dead wrong. All those douchebags who have hurt her... Did somebody have to save her from them or did she save herself?''

Beth doesn't look at him.

''Look, Beth...'' He blows out a breath. ''I respect that you want to protect your sister. I do. I get that.'' He scrubs a hand over his face and tries to imagine every possible outcome to the situation he is about to create. In every one of them, she hits him. ''But maybe she doesn't need you protecting her,'' he says carefully. ''Maybe what she really needs is for you to back off and let her fight her own damn battles.''

As expected, she does not take kindly to his unsolicited advice. She shoots a nasty scowl at him and shoves at his chest unapologetically. ''You're a goddamn hypocrite, you know that?'' She throws back at him. ''All you fucking do is overprotect your little brother.''

''Beth - ''

''I want you to stay away from my sister,'' she orders.

He sighs. She is not going to make this easy, is she? He squares his shoulders and towers over her, staring down at her with a cool glare. ''No.''

Her cheeks flush an angry red. ''You listen to me - ''

''No, you listen to me!'' He takes a step closer. ''I like your sister, Beth! I like her a lot. And I don't know who you think I am and okay, so maybe I didn't exactly treat you like a queen during our...'' He grimaces. ''...Whatever it was, but I am not that guy, Beth. I don't hurt people.''

She still does not look one little bit convinced. ''She came home in the middle of the night crying,'' she blurts out, crossing her arms. ''And what? I'm just supposed to believe you had nothing to do with that?''

Dean swallows and tries to ignore the slight pang in his chest. ''Yes.''

She snorts.

''Beth,'' he groans and rubs at his forehead. ''Look, I have no idea what's going on with her, okay? I can promise you that. I thought - '' He shakes his head. ''It doesn't matter what I thought. I just... I didn't do anything. ...I like her.''

Her lips pucker as she stares at him, attempting to stare him down. When he doesn't waver, she falters briefly. A long breath leaves her lips and the mask of anger dissipates. The wall of rage crumbles and she turns away from him, sinking onto the top step. He frowns and looks behind him. He is not entirely well versed in this and he's not exactly sure how to proceed, so he proceeds with caution. Slowly, he takes a seat next to her and waits for her to speak up. ''So, like, you...'' She looks over at him, meeting his eyes. For the first time in a very long time, her eyes are clear and soft, devoid of anger and seduction; no make up to cover up the real emotions that she finds so unacceptable in life. This is the Beth he could have fleetingly grown fond of. ''You really like her?''

''...I do.''

''Why?''

He arches an eyebrow at her.

''I mean,'' she stops, tripping over her words. ''Your reasons... Are they shallow prick reasons, or do you really like her for her? Because if this is just about getting in her pants - ''

''Okay, one: For the millionth time, I am not some douchebag frat boy. Two: I like her because she's a great person, Beth. She's full of humor and razor sharp wit, beauty and mystery, she's intelligent and kind, she adores my son and my son wants to be her best friend and she's just - ''

''Not me,'' she finishes quietly.

He bites his lip. ''Beth - ''

''No,'' she shrugs. ''It's okay. It's true.''

''I see a lot of heart in her,'' he muses quietly. ''I need that in my life right now.''

''Oh,'' she laughs. ''She's all heart. Believe me.''

''Beth,'' he says after a beat of silence. ''I honestly don't know what happened last night. You have to believe me. I thought that everything was fine. We had a good time together. Or at least I thought we did. I don't - ''

''Okay.'' She holds a hand up, stopping him mid sentence. ''I believe you. Ruby's just a little...'' She stops and looks away from him, picking at her way too short denim skirt. ''I'm not going to stop trying to protect my sister,'' she mumbles.

''I'm not going to stop liking her,'' he counters.

A brief smile flickers on her lips. She crosses her bare legs primly and tucks a strand of dark hair behind her ear. ''He nearly broke her, Dean.'' Her voice is quiet and hesitant; full of guilt and regret, softer than he has ever heard it sound before. ''Her last boyfriend,'' she elaborates. ''The one who put this stupid guitar playing paws on her... He nearly broke her apart in...'' She winces. ''In a lot of ways.'' She eyes him closely, still looking partially on the fence about him and the relationship he is trying to pursue with her sister. She narrows her eyes again and leans in to poke at his chest. ''Don't break her, Dean.''

He locks his jaw. ''I wouldn't dare, pitbull.''

She smiles at him for barely a millisecond and then sweeps to her feet. ''Well,'' she brushes the dust off her skirt and clears her throat, eyes hardening. ''As long as you understand that if you hurt her, I will rip off your balls and shove them down your throat, I suppose I could try to stop openly voicing my hatred for your relationship with my sister.''

He wets his lips. ''I would greatly appreciate that.''

She harrumphs and flicks her hair over her shoulder. ''Whatever. I gotta bounce.'' She doesn't offer him anything else, least of all a smile or an apology for wrongly accusing him of hurting her sister. He looks up at the sky and rolls his eyes. She skips down the steep steps as fast as possible in her sky high wedge sandals and when she's made it about halfway to her rust bucket, she stops. She doesn't turn around, but she inclines her head ever so slightly, calling his name. ''Dean.''

He looks up.

She heaves a sigh and turns. She looks mildly annoyed at having to play mediator. ''She likes you too, you know,'' she says bluntly. ''Like...a lot. She just has all this shit fogging her up right now. Things she doesn't want to put on your shoulders. She doesn't like inviting people into her problems. Just give her some time.'' She spins on her heel to walk away, waving briefly. ''And don't give up on her!''

He watches her go and presses his lips together, mulling that one over. _Don't give up, _he thinks, and then snorts. As if he even could.

.

.

.

Later that night, while he's doing the dishes, elbow deep in soap suds, his cell phone rings.

_''It wasn't you,''_ Ruby tells him breathlessly on the other line, as soap runs down his arm and drips onto the kitchen floor. _''You were perfect,''_ she continues. _''That's the problem. You're perfect. I'm not.''_

She hangs up before he has a chance to tell her that _Dean Winchester _and _perfect_ don't even deserve to be in the same zip code.

.

.

.

The following day is a Sunday and it sucks. Dean has never understood why people enjoy Sundays so much. The day is boring and lazy because Dean did all of the productive things he needed to do yesterday while he wasn't (read: totally was) thinking about Ruby, so Dean tells Ben he's the dad for the day and attempts to see the world from the eyes of a two year old. This is something that sounds better in theory. It involves chasing butterflies in the backyard, spending quality time with Copper, eating a lot of animal crackers and grilled cheese, and blanket forts. By mid afternoon, Dean and Ben have abandoned the role reversal and have instead decided to focus their energy on turning the entire upstairs into one massively gigantic blanket fort while Sam sits in the corner and judges them (and then eventually butts in, tells them they're doing it wrong and appoints himself Mayor of Blanket Town).

By late evening, they have somehow gone from chasing butterflies to blanket forts and all the way to playing pirates (although that last one is mostly because they went out for dinner and the kid friendly restaurant had singing pirates, so naturally Ben then wanted to play singing pirates). About fifteen minutes before Ben has to go to bed and two minutes before Ben and Dean invade Sam and Copper's ship and take over, the doorbell rings.

Dean huffs at the interruption and has to hand over his cardboard sword to Ben. ''Here,'' he says. ''Beat your uncle with this.'' He ruffles Ben's hair, sends a smirk in Sam's general uppity direction and hurries into the foyer to swing open the door. He is genuinely stunned to see who is standing on the other side of the door. (He shouldn't be.) ''Ruby!''

She is standing on his porch, bathed in the ethereal glow of the sunset behind her. She looks anxious and unsure, shifting from foot to foot and chewing on her bottom lip. At the sight of him, her eyes widen in surprise and she takes a single step backwards. A slow smirk dances on her lips. At first, he isn't sure what has warranted such a reaction.

But then he hears Sam. ''Psst, Dean,'' Sam stage whispers. ''Dean!'' He gestures to his head when Dean flings a look in his direction. ''The hat, dude.''

Barely managing to bite back a curse of embarrassment, Dean sweeps the pirate hat made of newspaper off his head and feels heat creeping up his neck. ''Ruby,'' he says again, and clears his throat. ''It's, uh... It's good to see you. You look - ''

She shakes her head, looking more than a little determined. In the span of one second, she apparently decides that the art of small talk is a dying social protocol that holds no use to her anymore. ''Do you want me, Dean?'' She asks in a deadpan, clasping her hands.

At this point, he's not sure why he's still surprised by her bluntness. ''Well...Well, yeah,'' he stutters out after a moment of slack jawed blinking. ''Yeah, of course I do. Was that not clear?''

She draws in a breath and then steps towards him. She avoids eye contact for another brief moment that feels like it goes on for hours, as she practices her breathing, looking like she's in the process of giving herself a mental pep talk. ''Then you have to take all of me,'' she says to him. And then she makes eye contact. ''I come with baggage. Do you understand? Lots of it. The Aspergers, how there are some things and most people that I don't understand, the way I say all of the wrong things, my strange fears that I can't control, the annoying repetitive behavior when I'm stressed, the way I wake up screaming sometimes if I go to bed upset, my sleepwalking, my terrible attention span, all of my trust issues...'' She trails off, taking in a much needed gulp of air. ''These are all of the things you'll have to deal with if you continue to want me. Are you prepared to deal with that? You can't cure me. Can't fix me. All of these things about me - my little idiosyncrasies - they won't go away. You will have to learn to live with them. If you want me, you get my ghosts too, Dean, because no matter what shitty literature and entertainment tells you, love does not cure mental illnesses.'' The second she's finished speaking, she folds her arms around herself as if she's naked and uncomfortable with none of her body armor in sight. ''Okay,'' she tells him. ''You talk now.''

Dean stares at her. For a long time. He looks at the vulnerable look in her eyes and the frightened curve of her mouth. He looks at that old locket she always wears around her neck and never takes off. The weakness, vulnerability and nakedness existing in her eyes is only exacerbated by the outfit she's wearing; a white sundress and baby blue cardigan, a look that he has come to realize is decidedly not Ruby. He doesn't think he can ever remember someone laying out their entire pattern of weakness in front of him before. No one has ever lain bare in front of him. Not like this. He looks over at Sam and Ben briefly and then he moves. He darts forwards before he can talk himself out of it, steps over the threshold, cups her cheek and leans down to kiss her.

She kisses back instantly, which is a huge comfort, her fingers grasping at his shirt before moving up to thread through his hair. When he pulls away, her eyes are still closed and when she opens her eyes, she looks a little dazed.

''I don't know if this is the right thing to say, Ruby,'' he admits. ''But I don't think you need to be fixed. If I say I want you, it means I want all of you. Ghosts and all.''

She looks incredibly touched by his statement, eyes big and bright. But then she quickly shakes it off and blinks, clearing her throat. ''Well... Okay then. I'm glad we cleared that up.'' She pushes past him, breezing into the house confidently and with a wicked smirk. ''I'm staying the night,'' she announces, more to herself than the boys. With a deliciously dangerous look in Dean's direction, she offers Sam and Ben a mere wave and then starts up the stairs, fingers already working the buttons on her sweater.

Dean remains standing frozen in the foyer, feeling awed and like he's walking on a cloud. He turns to look back into the living room. Sam is rocking on his heels, smirking smugly. Ben looks like he has just won a new mom in a raffle. The blue cardigan floats down from upstairs and lands right on top of his head. His bedroom door clicks shut. From underneath the fabric that smells like the most intoxicating lavender, Dean can't help but ask, ''So... What just happened?''

Sam clicks his tongue. ''Think you just got yourself a girlfriend, dude.''

Happily, Ben throws his arms up in the air and cheers. ''Yay!''

(And so there you go. They've got themselves a Miss Ruby.)

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_**Andie Walsh: **__If somebody doesn't believe in me, I can't believe in them._

**- Pretty In Pink (1986)**

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**end chapter three**

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><p><strong>Up Next:<strong>

_Dean meets Ruby's grandmother, Caterina Marquez. She is not a nice woman._


	4. cover me with kisses, baby

_AN: No, your eyes are not deceiving you. This is, in fact, a new chapter. I apologize for the long wait, but sadly it could not be helped. But I hope this chapter is worth the wait! Also, Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians! I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday._

_Chapter title from the song ''Call Me'' by Blondie._

**Disclaimer: **I own none of the characters you recognize.

* * *

><p><strong>I Melt With You<strong>

_Written by Becks Rylynn_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<strong>

_cover me with kisses, baby_

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

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_**Lisa: **__So, what would you little maniacs like to do first?_

**- Weird Science (1985)**

.

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Ruby is like no other girl he's ever met before, and he thinks he'd better be careful because it's always these kinds of women who manage to crawl under your skin like crazy beautiful tics and worm their way into your heart.

Looking back on it, it's not a terribly long time that they get to spend together. Summer is fleeting. It's always been like that. It is the season that flies by like a jet, because it's the busiest season, full of laughter and crazy adventures. But the time he gets to spend with Ruby feels like it lasts forever and it's still not enough. They grow inseparable fast. There are dinner dates, days spent with Ben and Sam, and lots of trips to the beach. She becomes a fixture at the Winchester man cave and eventually winds up spending more nights over at his place than her own.

Perhaps the most satisfying part about their relationship is that it really is nothing special. They are like any other couple. They go on dates, they laugh together, they kiss while they're washing dishes, and they're comfortable with each other. It is uncomplicated and easy. They flow. Dean has never had that before. He has never been given that option. (Most of the time, he thinks he might be falling in love with her. Other times, he knows he is falling in love with her.) Ruby is...

Well, fuck, what can you say about Ruby? Sam thinks she's awesome. Ben thinks she's the most perfect human being to ever walk the planet. Dean would very much like to keep her. She's not like any of the other girls he has been with. She doesn't wear skimpy clothing or sky high come-fuck-me heels, instead choosing to stick with the simplicity of jeans and t-shirts. She's incredibly intellectual, even though she doesn't think she's all that smart. She knows almost as many languages as her mother and is planning on pursuing a career as a Latin teacher. She's well read, she's a music lover, she loves Copper to bits, she's a beach girl at heart, she's a dancer, she doesn't do yoga (he has bad associations with yoga: Beth does yoga, Lisa taught it, it's a weird pattern), she can bake like no one else, and she is great with kids (she's probably better with kids than she is with adults).

And she pushes him. She challenges him. He has come to learn that this is an important thing in life. She is an avid jogger (one of the things on her Things To Do Before I Die list is to run the LA marathon) because she says it helps her think and within the first two weeks of their relationship, she has him waking up way too early to jog with her and she makes him keep going (even after he collapses on stranger's lawns and tells her to go on without him and to just let him die there) until he only feels like he's going to die a little bit. She attempts to get him to branch out in the music department, she tries to teach him how to bake and how to speak French, refusing to give up until he knows how to make an apple pie and how to at least clumsily navigate France. She is beautiful and bitchy (but secretly sweet as sugar) and wise with enough strength to take down a grown man, a tongue made from razor blades and a steely determination. She likes to keep a clean house and she sings while she cleans. She wears a locket around her neck that used to belong to her father's mother (also named Ruby) that she never takes off because she says it gives her strength when she needs it. She has a deep passion for art. She still likes Ben more than she likes Dean...

Honestly.

He's not entirely sure who_ wouldn't _fall in love with her.

Sure, you know, sometimes the nights are bad. She suffers from sleep paralysis that - while aggravated by stress - often occurs randomly, causing her to wake up in the middle of the night, freeze and then eventually jolt out of it terrified and crying. If she goes to bed upset, angry or stressed, she sleepwalks. Sometimes there are things she doesn't understand about communication or human emotion, which frustrates her. When she's in a bad mood, she has certain repetitive behaviors that she occasionally gets stuck in. She has a handful of strange fears (things such as moths, strangers preparing her food, and clocks). And she's embarrassed by all of it.

Dean is not hugely bothered by these things. Okay, sometimes it's a little bit distressing to wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of her in quiet hysterics, but he meant what he said when he wanted all of her, including her ghosts. He's perfectly willing to take the bad with the good. That's just... That's what people do when they're in relationships, right? (He's not sure. He's never been in such a normal relationship before.)

All in all, he can't complain about his life. He has a good life. A great girlfriend, an amazing son and brother, a wonderfully weird support system, a decent job and a mostly sound roof over his head that only leaks a little bit when it rains. The road ahead of him has considerably less potholes than it did a few years ago.

The summer moves along smoothly, with him spending most of his time with Ben, Sam and Ruby. And then in early August, during a Sunday night dinner at the Daniels residence...

Shit gets real.

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One of the things Dean has learned about the Daniels family since becoming a part of their lives is that once a month they all load into Joey's ancient truck with the squeaky doors and the sputtering engine and head off on the forty minute drive to Newark to have dinner with Victoria's family. Dean knows next to nothing about Victoria's side of the family. Just that there are a lot of them and Victoria is a little closed off when it comes to the subject of her mother, but she'll tell you handfuls of amusing anecdotes about her beloved late father. Since getting involved with Ruby, he's learned a little more (_little_ being important to the structure of this story).

He knows that Caterina Marquez, Victoria's mother, is extremely old fashioned and apparently quite judgmental of her children and grandchildren (and even her great grandchildren - who are mostly toddlers). He knows that including spouses, grandkids and great grandkids, there are exactly twenty seven members of the Marquez brood. He knows that Ruby is really close with her Aunt Theresa and Theresa's daughters Aggie and Glory. And he knows that talking about her grandmother makes Ruby extraordinarily uncomfortable.

To put it gently, Caterina sounds like someone he'd have to jump through a lot of hoops for before he earned any sort of tentative respect from and so he'd rather not meet her. If Ruby is not close with her grandmother, Dean does not see any reason why he would need to be.

Victoria, however, has different ideas.

The subject of her family back in Newark comes up somewhere in between passing the mashed potatoes and refilling wine glasses. Dean and Ruby aren't exactly involved in the conversation, hovering around somewhere on the outskirts, trying to juggle eating, conversing and Ben, who has been refusing naptime the past few days and is currently whining and refusing to eat. Ruby has him in her lap and Dean is attempting to feed him. But when Victoria suggests that Dean and Ben join them at Victoria's mother's the following weekend, they stop what they're doing and snap to attention. As a matter of fact, everyone stops what they're doing to stare at her like she has suddenly developed another head.

She remains unmoved by the reaction. ''What?''

Eventually, Beth is the one to say it. Purely because she's Beth. ''Um, Mom,'' she looks around, eyebrows furrowed. ''Do we hate Dean?''

Victoria pouts a little and tips her wine glass to her lips. ''There's no need to be dramatic.''

''I'm not,'' Beth insists. ''Like... I don't want to make our family sound like the mafia, but... Once you're in, you don't get out.''

Sam blinks at her. ''How does that _not_ make it sound like the mafia?''

''I think you're being a little unreasonable,'' Victoria says.

''Ria, do you really think this is necessary?'' Joey cuts in before Beth has a chance to respond. ''The kids haven't been dating for that long. Don't you think it's a little early to be subjecting him to..._that_?''

''Otherwise known as throwing him to the wolves,'' Rufus chimes in.

''Yeah,'' Beth snorts. ''I mean, God. Miguel will tear him to pieces.''

''Miguel?'' Dean echoes questioningly.

''Our Uncle,'' Ruby says quietly. She's been strangely quiet during the discussion, focusing on Ben and only Ben. She's doing that thing where she won't look anyone in the eye and her fingers keep twitching towards her locket. She is far from comfortable right now. That much is extremely obvious. ''He's a dick,'' she tacks on matter-of-factly.

''Ruby!'' Victoria admonishes.

''He really is,'' Joey grumbles.

''Joe!''

And this is the part where Dean must have some sort of small stroke or something to that affect, because that's really the only explanation for what he does next: ''I'll do it.''

Once again, the table is plunged into stunned and awkward silence and all eyes go to Dean. Victoria looks quite pleased and triumphant, Joey, Beth and Rufus look incredulous, Sam looks amused, Ruby looks nervous, and Ben just looks bored. And pissy. And tired. There is a too long beat of silence as everyone looks at each other, unsure of how to react to this. It's Rufus who winds up unceremoniously breaking the silence with a yelp of, ''Are you insane, boy?! Don't do it!''

All at once, there are mumbles of agreement coming from Joey and Beth, and Victoria is trying to get them to ''stop scaring him.''

''Woman, your mother is out of her mind,'' Rufus points out.

''She's just very...old fashioned,'' Victoria counters, squirming.

Rufus snorts. ''Please, Vick. She's like Mother Theresa. ...Only _evil_.''

''Oh, like your mother is any better.''

Rufus points at her. ''Don't you talk about my mama.''

''Don't talk about mine!''

The table erupts into a full on war, with Rufus and Beth teaming up against Victoria, and Sam and Joey trying to break it up before it escalates into a food fight, something that is incredibly likely with Rufus and Beth here. Dean slumps back in his chair and flicks his eyes to the ceiling. He glances over at Ruby, opens his mouth to say something to her, and then immediately clamps his mouth shut when he sees the expression on her face. She has this thing that she does when she is supremely uncomfortable. She puts every ounce of her focus on one person or one thing and completely shuts out everyone and everything else. It's like she has put up an imaginary sound proof wall. Right now, she is concentrating entirely on Ben, apparently oblivious to the battle zone she is in the middle of. (Ben seems to like it. He purrs like a friggin' cat when he gets Miss Ruby all to himself.) Dean sighs, licks his lip and scoots his chair closer to her, putting a hand on her knee. ''Ruby.''

Startled, she jumps and lets out a gasp, head snapping around to face him.

''Sorry,'' he apologizes quickly, drawing his hand back.

She bites down on her lip and her hand flies up to her locket.

''You really don't want me to meet your grandmother, do you?''

She shrugs her shoulders and looks away from him. ''Whatever.'' When Ben flops against her, burying his face in her shirt and muttering under his breath, she rubs his back and won't even look at Dean. ''It's up to you,'' she adds on. After a moment of stony silence, she casts him a two second look and frowns curiously. ''I guess I just never pegged you as a meet-the-grandmother kind of guy.''

''Well,'' he ponders that thought for a second. ''I'm not,'' he admits. ''Or... I _wasn't. _I could be. If you wanted me too.''

A small smile briefly dances across her lips, but it is quickly replaced by a serious expression, marked with worry and trepidation. ''Dean,'' she warns. ''You don't know what you're getting yourself into.''

''Then tell me,'' he prods.

''Grams isn't a nice person,'' she says tersely, reaching for her water glass. ''She's just not, okay? And I don't want... I don't want her to scare you away from me.''

Dean remains stubborn and unafraid. ''I don't scare easily,'' he fires back confidently. (Spoiler alert: He's an idiot.)

By the end of the dinner, Victoria has talked everyone into her plan and it's official: Next Friday night, Dean will be meeting Caterina Marquez. He feels like he should be making a will or something. Still feeling dangerously uninformed about Mrs. Marquez and her methods of torture, he goes to the one person who is always unapologetically, painfully honest. He corners Beth in the hallway outside of her room before she leaves to go do whatever it is she can do on a Sunday night dressed like an extra from the seedier plot points of All My Children. She laughs in his face when he tells her he wants to know all about her grandmother. Which is rude.

''Trust me,'' she says. ''You don't want to know her.''

''Beth, seriously,'' he grinds out impatiently, throwing a look over his shoulder. ''Just tell me.''

''Well, how much time you got?''

''Just give me the basics.''

''The basics,'' she repeats. ''...All right...'' She crosses her arms and bounces, tongue poking into her cheek. ''The woman is an evil witch,'' she finally says with a nod. ''And those are the basics. Like, completely. She's a bigoted old woman. In her words, she'll just say that she doesn't agree with some of the choices her family makes. That's pretty much just code for she's a judgmental old bat. One of my cousins - Jackson. He's a great guy with a great family, and he's in med school. He's going to be a surgeon. But he got his girlfriend pregnant when they were seventeen - they're happily engaged and nauseatingly adorable now - and Caterina said a prayer, cut him out of the will, took down all his pictures and refuses to speak his name, or let anyone else speak it, in her house. She's never quite forgiven my Aunt Lola - Jack's _mother_ - for not doing the same.''

You know... Suddenly, Dean is feeling quite nauseous. ''So... Basically, what you're saying is I'm in deep shit.''

''Oh, she's going to destroy you,'' Beth nods. ''But seriously. Bag your face, we haven't even gotten to the judgment she passes on us. She doesn't agree with any of Mom's choices. She doesn't agree with her choice in men - she hates my father -, she doesn't agree with Mom's choice to quit nursing and open up a bakery, she doesn't agree with Mom and Dad's refusal to move to Newark - even though who the hell wants to move to Newark? - , she doesn't agree with Dad's lowly profession...'' Beth pauses, lips pinching together as her eyes darken and take on an almost homicidal gleam. ''...She doesn't agree with us...''

''You? What do you have to do with - ''

''Ruby...and me...'' She starts, and then has to stop to clear her throat. ''We're not blood related to her. We're less.''

Dean releases a breath. ''That's - '' _some fucked up shit I've gotten myself into._

''And she's constantly putting blame on Mom and Dad,'' Beth rants. ''She blames them for me being all...''Beth''...and she blames them for Ruby's history with abusive men - ''

''Beth!'' Appearing _as if from nowhere_, Ruby latches onto Dean's arm and sends a withering warning glare in her sister's direction. ''Stop it,'' she hisses.

Eyes narrowed, Beth ceases her tirade against her grandmother and heaves a long suffering sigh. ''I didn't tell him anything that isn't true,'' she remarks flippantly. ''He deserves to know what he's getting himself into, Ruby. But whatever,'' she flicks her hair over her shoulder with a scoff. She shoots her sister what looks to be an extremely pointed gaze, offers Dean a cheeky ''good luck'' and then flounces away.

When Dean turns to look at Ruby, all of the color has drained out of her face, she's kind of hurting his arm, and it has just become abundantly clear that there is something more going on here. ''You know, sweetheart,'' he runs his hand up and down her arm gently. ''I don't have to do this.''

She smirks at him, but it's kind of hollow and empty looking. ''Oh, yes, you do. You already agreed. My mother just made the phone call. You're locked in, dude. You're our very own sacrificial goat.''

Dean frowns. He has seen a lot of Rubies over the past month and a half. He's seen a lot of versions of her, from terrified to hysterical to let's have shower sex, but he has never seen this before. She is nervous and pale and clammy and it all started when Victoria brought up Caterina Marquez. There is something more going on here. Something that goes far beyond judgmental old hags. ''Ruby, this thing with your grandmother...'' He settles a hand on her waist and takes a step closer to her. She doesn't flinch or move away from him, merely sighing and looking down. ''There's a little more to the story, isn't there?''

She shrugs. ''I told you. I come with ghosts.'' She remains silent for a moment and doesn't react at all when he curls his finger through the belt loop of her jeans. But when her hand lightly brushes across the back of his, she startles and draws away from him abruptly, as if the touch has singed her. ''Um,'' she clears her throat and steps back. ''Listen, I want to explain... I want to tell you...'' She pauses. ''..._Everything_.'' She steals a glance over her shoulder. ''But not here, all right? Not in my parents' house.'' She offers him a small, unconvincing smile and then she leans in to peck his lips quickly.

Before she disappears down the hall to go find her parents, she slips her hand into his and squeezes. It's an incredibly simple gesture, something most couples share, but it means more than you could ever realize because she has never done anything like that before. Dean - as he is learning - is a handsy guy, because it reminds him that he's not dreaming. He'll drape an arm around her shoulders, put a hand on her knee, kiss her forehead, and she'll let him. It's just a natural thing for him to do. It's his personal instinct. But she is different. Aside from the occasional not-as-casual-and-effortless as it looks peck on the lips, she has avoided gestures such as hand holding or any kind of casual touching. There is just something about the level of intimacy that these things entail that makes her uncomfortable.

Until now, it would seem.

(This is a bigger step than either of them realize.)

.

.

.

Everyone has secrets. Everyone has a past. Everyone has dealt with some hardships and some fuckedupness in their life. Life is nasty shit. Nobody escapes that. Dean learned that when he was four years old. Life isn't kind to anyone. Ruby isn't an exception. She is an incredibly lucky girl with wonderful parents and a pretty decent and normal childhood, given what her father did for the first sixteen years of her life. But... (See, there it is. There will always be a but. _Always._ Those damn things.)

Nobody has ever come out and outright stated - nobody has ever confirmed that her ex was a physically abusive douchebag. Emotionally abusive? Sure, yeah, that's been confirmed by Ruby herself. But physical abuse? That's just something that isn't talked about. Dean has respected that and will continue to respect that. Their relationship is new and even if it wasn't, he would still never _ever_ push her to talk about something that makes her so very obviously uncomfortable.

With that said, he has noticed a few things that lead him to believe her past relationship was Terrible and No Good and just Very, Very Bad all around.

A: He has learned that sneaking up on her is a huge no-no. It is absolutely essential that you never sneak up on her when she doesn't know you're there, because the second you put your hands on her, whether it's a hand on the shoulder or an arm around that waist, she will scream, turn around and punch you in the nose.

B: If you're in a bad mood, be _fucking careful._ When you raise your voice (or your hand), you will scare her and she will cringe, flinch, and then spend the rest of the night defensive and edgy.

He does not like to think about these things to be honest. It just pisses him off. You don't put your hands on women (yeah, he's an asshole, but he freakin' knows that you never hit women) and yeah, okay, the thought of Ruby having to deal with some fucker like that makes him want to find said fucker and knock his teeth out. The implications are all there. It's like the elephant in the room. Everyone can see it, but no one wants to comment on it.

Tonight is different.

Ruby hadn't originally planned on staying the night but sometime in the midst of the great Caterina war, an unspoken invitation to spend the night was issued. Later that night, much later, long after Ben has been tucked in for the night and shortly after Sam has been left to his own devices downstairs, eyes glued to the midnight Creature Feature, Ruby crawls into bed next to Dean wearing one of his shirts.

Dean is not expecting what happens next. It's a blindingly normal night. She is smoothing lotion over her legs and he is reading a book (no, really - a book). They're doing their best married for twenty years impression. It's not exactly _Boom! Secret Keeper Time, Bitches! _He's expecting a kiss on the cheek and a good night. He is not expecting a horrifying revelation that will make him want to go out and chop some idiot's balls off.

But it happens.

After the lights have been clicked off and both have burrowed under the covers, she lets out a sigh and rolls onto her back. He cracks one eye open and watches her. She is staring up at the ceiling, wringing her hands nervously, lips turned down. Instinctively, his hand moves to rub her leg comfortingly under the covers. Usually, she'll roll over to face him when he does this. She barely reacts tonight. ''Sweetheart,'' he starts. ''There somethin' on your mind?''

''Yes,'' she nods, and then clamps her mouth shut.

He waits. Gets nothing. Then says, ''...Care to elaborate?''

She keeps quiet, chewing on her lips. Her hand begins to inch slowly towards her locket. Halfway there, she stops, squeezes her eyes shut and breathes in sharply through her nose, letting it out through her mouth. ''Dean, do you know why I'm afraid of clocks?''

He props himself up on his elbow. ''I don't, no. Do you know why I'm afraid of airplanes?''

''Because you don't like the feeling of someone else being in control of your fate.''

''How did you - Nevermind. Why are you afraid of clocks?''

''When I was nineteen...'' She stops, licking her lips. She appears to be thinking her next words over very carefully, selecting them and organizing them just so. It still comes out shaky. ''I was, um... Sort of... a little bit...'' She picks at her cuticles. ''..._Engaged_...to this one guy. Cody.'' She says the name with a grimace and as soon as it slips out, her hand flies to her locket. Almost as quickly, she yanks her hand back in an attempt to pretend she's fine. It only works for about ten seconds. Her fingers twitch, she curls her hand into a fist, and then she can't help it anymore, hand reaching up to practically claw at her locket. She is squirming in the bed and there are goosebumps rising on her skin. ''It's not - '' There is a tiny, barely noticeable tremor of shame to her voice. She swallows. ''I mean, it's not like it's something I'm proud of.'' Her voice is defensive and breathless, like she's on the verge of a panic attack. She is scratching the back of her left hand quite incessantly, which is not something he has ever witnessed firsthand, but it is something she has told him is not good. ''I was a stupid kid,'' she mumbles.

''Ruby,'' he brings his hand up to her wrist, smoothing his fingers over the pulse point gently. ''I got a yoga teacher knocked up without knowing her last name. We all have baggage. You don't need to explain yourself to me.''

She smiles weakly, but still looks stricken, closing her eyes tightly. When she opens her eyes after a moment of quiet contemplation, her face is carefully blank and her hands are no longer trembling. ''We had been off and on since I was seventeen and he wound up following me out to L.A with his shitty band because he said he wanted to marry me. Nobody liked him - not Beth, not my parents, my grandmother, my cousins - but I was completely infatuated with him.'' Her lips quirk into a bitter smile and she releases a chuckle. ''I thought he was the be all and end all. But he was an asshole. He had always been cold and calculating. He was incredibly manipulative. He thought I was weak because of...'' She trails off and gestures vaguely to herself. ''Because of everything. And yeah,'' she picks at the comforter, ''there were times when it got physical. If he had a bad night or if he got drunk... Maybe he'd smack me around a bit, or pull my hair. But he always apologized afterwards. Or he'd...he'd spin all these lies and twist everything around until he manipulated me into thinking it was my fault. But I still stayed with him, time and time again. I thought I loved him. I was _certain_ I loved him. And sometimes...'' She switches her gaze from the ceiling over to Dean, embarrassment lurking in her eyes. ''He was so convincing... So manipulative that eventually I started to think maybe he was right. About me being weak. About me provoking him. About it being my fault. If he thought I deserved it, who's to say he was wrong? I loved him and I was sure he loved me. I just thought... Why would he lie?''

She goes quiet for a minute and refuses to meet his eyes, looking back up at the ceiling. Her body shudders a little, kind of like it does when she jolts out of sleep paralysis, and she shies away from his touch. ''We were living together in this really tiny and really awful apartment in the seedy part of town and one weekend Beth came down to visit me and - I don't know - Cody must have gotten jealous of all the time I was spending away from him or something because one night he came home and he just lost it. He was wasted and throwing things and screaming. He went off on me about everything. He _blamed_ me for everything. His inability to find a job, the success his crappy band _wasn't_ finding... He called me stupid and worthless, told me I was lucky he put up with me because nobody else would ever love me. I remember,'' her voice grows tight and thick. ''I remember that I kept apologizing to him. I kept promising him that I would do better. But it wasn't enough.'' She clears her throat and flexes her fingers. ''And then he beat the shit out of me and ran.'' She blows out a breath, casts a sideways glance in Dean's direction, and fixes her eyes, once again, on the darkened ceiling.

''I don't know how long I laid there until Beth found me. I don't really remember a whole lot... I just remember the sound of the clock. It was so loud. It sounded like gunshots. I thought I was going to die on that floor and the clock... It was like a countdown.'' She finishes her story and then sits up, slowly running her tongue over her teeth and pushing a hand through her hair. There are no tears on her cheeks and she isn't shaking anymore, but she looks ghastly pale in the moonlight.

Dean, regretfully, doesn't know what to say to any of this. He knows he should say something and he feels horrible that he can't figure out what that something is. He has never dealt with anything like this before. He's never been in that situation. He doesn't know how she feels. Should he be trying to comfort her? Should he be flying into protective boyfriend mode? Should be making bold promises? Should he be plotting the murder of this Cody scumbag? She doesn't look too terribly receptive to hugs at this precise moment in time and she doesn't look like she wants him to fly into an overprotective rage either. He sits up. ''Ruby - ''

''They blamed me,'' she whispers, and seems to have a harder time admitting that than telling the whole Cody story.

He blanches. ''Excuse me?''

''My grandmother,'' she explains. ''My uncle. Grams told me that it wouldn't have happened if I had been stronger. My uncle implied that things would have been different if I had actual Marquez blood in me.'' She bites her lip. ''...He also implied that I probably deserved it.'' That last part is mumbled under her breath, but he hears it loud and clear and his blood boils. ''I just want you to know what you're getting yourself into,'' she warns him. ''Not just with my family, but with me.''

He is silent for a long time. Not because he's rethinking anything, but because he doesn't understand how someone could ever treat their family like that. Dean is acutely aware of his shortcomings - of all the things he doesn't know and doesn't have. But one of the things he knows like the back of his hand is family. You protect your family. You take their side. Always. How can her grandmother blame her? How can Joey and Victoria justify repeatedly taking Ruby back to a place where she is badgered and belittled like she means nothing? Suddenly, he is deeply regretting agreeing to this dinner. Fear is one thing, but he's not sure if he'll be able to quell his own anger and judgment in front of these obviously damaged people. (Say what you want about Winchesters. They stick up for their own.)

''Ruby...'' Carefully and slowly, he leans in to cup her cheeks. ''Barring murder or puppy kicking, I don't think there's anything that could make me change my mind about you. I'm here and I'm staying here for as long as you want me.''

She smiles at him and closes her eyes when it becomes apparent that they're glistening. Her hand comes up to grasp at his wrist as he kisses her forehead. ''My mom and dad,'' she adds on. ''They don't know anything about my grandmother and my uncle's opinions, and I don't want them to know. Family is so important to my mother and I don't want her to lose hers.''

(Ah, see, that makes sense. Victoria Daniels would do anything for her children. It didn't seem right that she would choose anyone over one of her daughters.)

Dean hesitates, but ultimately agrees. ''Scout's honor,'' he promises her.

He expects an eye roll or a half hearted laugh, possibly even an interrogation (''Were you really a scout? I don't think you were. What troop were you in?'') but it never comes. Instead, she releases a heavy breath and then she throws herself at him, lifting herself up and climbing right into his lap, winding her arms around his neck. There are no real visible signs of distress on her face, but her breathing is not quite even and her body has all but wilted into his. ''I trust you, Dean,'' she says in his ear. ''I need you to realize how big that is for me.''

''Believe me,'' he murmurs. ''I do.''

.

.

.

She warns him, before they go to sleep, that this is going to be a bad night. She keeps touching her locket and scratching the back of her hand, mood still stressed and uncomfortable from all of her confessions. There's a huge chance that tonight will be a sleepwalking kind of night, she tells him.

She doesn't sleepwalk.

But she does wake up twice, screaming and sobbing incoherently, and she won't let him touch her for the first few minutes.

Honestly, it's one of the worst nights. But, you know, whatever. You take the bad with the good (because the good is _so _worth it).

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It's kind of fitting when you think about it.

Two people so utterly _broken_ finding each other.

(Two halves, after all, make a whole.)

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The week goes by too fast. The next thing he knows, it's Friday and he's about to be forced to throw himself onto a fire. (Not forced, he has to remind himself. There is no force. _You said yes, _a little voice says. _You agreed to this. This is all consensual torture_.) To be quite honest, he's terrified. But he's still not as nervous as Ruby. His girlfriend has been on edge all week, covering up her fear and anxiety with crankiness and anger. They've both been so freaked out that they've been snapping at each other (and other innocent bystanders) all week long. It sucks. Meeting the grandmother _sucks._

On Friday, at around four o'clock in the afternoon, Dean reluctantly leaves Sam and Ben home alone with a Victoria provided dinner waiting to be heated up in the fridge (and thank God for that because there has been way too much takeout in the Winchester household this past week) and starts the journey to Newark.

The drive there is roughly forty five minutes long and silent. Dean is trying to focus on following Joey's truck so he doesn't get lost (while simultaneously considering purposefully taking a wrong turn in order to get out of this) and Ruby is lost in her own world, humming under her breath and scratching her hand. You'd think they were off to war or something. They arrive at about ten to five, pulling up outside a massive house in a surprisingly ritzy looking suburb.

''Well,'' Beth says on the doorstep, checking her make up in her compact mirror. She grins and claps him on the shoulder. ''It was nice knowing you.''

Dean sighs.

Ruby leans over to pinch her sister on the arm.

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_'And now,' cried Max, 'let the wild rumpus start.'_

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_**Andrew Clark: **__We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that's all._

**- The Breakfast Club (1985)**

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**end chapter four**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, there you go. Some insight into Ruby's past. I'm not exactly sure if I'm happy with how the reveal turned out, but I think it's good enough. It's really the next chapter that's going to be quite the doozy. I have no idea when that chapter will be up, but it'll definitely have some drama to it.<strong>

**Up Next:**

_Dean meets Ruby's grandmother. ...Ruby's grandmother is not a nice person._


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